The Fire That Binds
by Aife Bisclaveret
Summary: *Sequel to Bound by Flame* Diablo Mandril is a Dark Ninja sent on what seems like an easy mission but which turns out to be anything but.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's notes: This is the first part of a sequel to my story Bound by Flame, you don't have to have read Bound by Flame to read this one. Also I'll only be able to get about one part a week out for the next few weeks because I have a load of college assignments. Anyway that's all, I hope you like the story.  
  
Part 1.  
  
There are soulmates who describe their connection as a silver cord connecting them, binding them soul to soul. There are others however, those who are bound by fire, joined by heat and flame. A fire that burns bright and long but fire cannot be controlled, it cannot be mastered and the fire that binds can burn.  
  
Diablo Mandril was angry; no he was extraordinarily pissed off. He was 18 years old, lamia and a Dark Ninja; he should have been out trying to find the fourth wild power or trying to raid Daybreak headquarters or anything but being stuck in some hick town chasing a lone daybreaker. To make matters worse he was stuck in this little backwater with Cassian Ashcroft and Charlotte Adams. Nothing like watching the two of them suck face to make him want to get this job over as quickly as possible.  
  
Cassian had once revealed to him while very, very drunk that he and Charlotte were soulmates. Diablo didn't believe in soulmates; it was a load of Daybreak crap as far as he was concerned. But if it were true, if he suspended his disbelief for a moment and considered the situation then he had to give definite props to Cassian for not going all soft and joining Daybreak as so many had, and to Charlotte too, he supposed, for having the good sense to give up her vermin existence and become a vampire. They weren't the worst partners he could have had. It wasn't a difficult job either, just one daybreaker.  
  
He glanced at the photo that sat on the dashboard. Just another foolish daybreaker who didn't have a clue what was coming their way; who didn't know the trouble their decision to join Daybreak had got them into. Of course she had to have done something more than just be a daybreaker to warrant sending a Dark Ninja team after her. Diablo didn't know what it was she had done and he hadn't asked. He had his orders they were all he needed.  
  
Wenona breezed in the doors of her high school and hurried to her locker. She was oblivious to the looks she was getting from people, envious glares from the girls along with blatant stares and surreptitious glances from the boys, which was why she didn't understand why her friend Aniela was grinning at her like a clown.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"You really don't know do you?" Aniela replied.  
  
"I really don't," Wenona told her, "so you'd better tell me."  
  
"Just that everyone her wants you or else wants to be you," Aniela informed her.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Aniela laughed, "Because you're beautiful and nice and you've got this whole," she drew out the last word while she searched for a word to express what she meant, "serenity thing going for you. You're always so calm and happy like nothing could ever get you down. A lot of us would like to feel that."  
  
Wenona shook her head, "I don't get it."  
  
"I know you don't and that's cause you're happy how you are; you don't know what it's like to want to be another person."  
  
"Do you?" Wenona asked her friend with concern.  
  
"Sure, sometimes, I think most people do once in a while."  
  
"Who do you want to be?" Wenona inquired interested.  
  
Aniela laughed again, dark eyes twinkling, "I don't know, everyone. I really don't know, different people different days."  
  
"But why would you want to be anyone but you?" Wenona asked.  
  
"Look at me," Aniela replied.  
  
Wenona did, Aniela was short with dark hair and eyes inherited from her Italian father and pale skin from her Scandinavian mother. Aniela also blamed her Italian heritage for her dumpy figure but Wenona tended to pin it on her love of junk food and hatred of exercise of any kind. She had a small, pretty face, which was more often than not smiling. Aniela was one of the nicest people she knew and her closest friend.  
  
"What am I supposed to be looking at? I don't see anything out of the ordinary."  
  
"Exactly," Aniela told her, "that's me, perfectly ordinary. Sometimes I'd just like to know what it's like to be different."  
  
"Being different isn't necessarily a good thing," Wenona replied, "anyway come on Ani you know you're anything but ordinary."  
  
Aniela smiled, "I guess but I'm not extraordinary either. Forget about it anyway. We'd better get to class."  
  
Wenona sighed and followed her friend wondering why humans always seemed so unhappy with their lot. Maybe she was generalising a little but it always seemed to her like humans tended to concentrate on what they didn't have rather than what they did and that would make anyone feel unhappy.  
  
Diablo sat in front of the slack faced principal as Cassian worked on her mind so she would believe that these young people in front of her were supposed to be there and had been enrolled in the school. They had the fake documentation all they needed was her to remember filling out a few forms and talking to a parent on the phone or something.  
  
"Is this going to take much longer?" Diablo drawled.  
  
"If you're going to keep interrupting me then yes it is going to take a little longer. Why don't you do it yourself if you're so worried about it?"  
  
"You know why," Diablo snapped, "if you want to wipe someone then I'm your man but suggestion and implantation is something completely different. It takes a certain type of vampire to do that kind of thing."  
  
"I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult," Cassian replied.  
  
"It's an insult," Diablo told him stretching his long legs and yawning widely.  
  
"He's just jealous," Charlotte said to Cassian, "can't stand the idea of anyone being better than him at anything."  
  
"True," Diablo replied, "but that's a little too much like a witch power for me to want to be able to do it. You must have some witch blood somewhere in your family Cas, which might explain a few things actually," he theorised looking at Charlotte.  
  
"Asshole," Charlotte muttered.  
  
"And proud of it," Diablo said with a grin.  
  
Charlotte snorted and bit her lip on a smile, "I've never met someone so unashamedly arrogant and so blatantly obvious about the fact they don't give a shit about anyone but themselves."  
  
"Well I've had a lifetime's practice, at least I'm honest, most people do feel the same way about things I do; they just waste time trying to hide it from other people."  
  
"You children finished?" Cassian asked, "Because it's almost show time."  
  
"Ready when you are," Diablo told him, "We're all prepared to be the perfect little high school students. Right Lotty?"  
  
"The name is Charlotte," Charlotte replied coldly.  
  
"Hit a sore spot did I?" Diablo said with a grin.  
  
"Her mom called her Lotty," Cassian told him causing Charlotte to stare daggers at him. "I didn't know it was a state secret," he muttered.  
  
"Maternal issues," Diablo said languidly, "how very boring."  
  
"My mother," Charlotte replied in even tones, "was a bitch."  
  
"Join the club," Diablo told her, "we seem to have an incredibly large membership."  
  
"I'd love to listen to you two swap wicked mother stories," Cassian said, "but I'm just about done so you may want to get your game faces on."  
  
"Funny, he says the same thing when we're about to fight," Charlotte said with a smile, "I hardly think he expects us to use the same one."  
  
"I don't know, I think it might be fun to see how she'd react to that, " Diablo said.  
  
"We're not here to have fun," Cassian replied then grinned, "not yet anyway."  
  
Diablo smiled, "Glad to see I'm not the only one who enjoys my work."  
  
"Isn't it great when you can turn your hobby into a lucrative profession," Cassian said with a wide smile.  
  
"You guys are such psychopaths," Charlotte told them both.  
  
"I agree," Cassian replied, "but don't pretend you aren't too."  
  
Charlotte grinned, "I won't say I don't like the money but I don't enjoy the kill quite as much as you two do."  
  
"Nothing wrong with taking pride in your work," Diablo said with a smile that flashed an incredible amount of fang.  
  
"Come on Char," Cassian said, "don't try and tell me you don't like what we do. I know you too well for that."  
  
"You know me too well for anything, "Charlotte smiled, "but I guess I'll admit that I like that I'm good at it."  
  
"That's my good little psycho in training," Cassian said with a grin.  
  
"Psycho in training, I like that," Diablo murmured.  
  
"If it means I turn out like you then I'm not sure I do," Charlotte replied.  
  
"What if it means you turn out like me?" Cassian asked softly.  
  
"That I think I could handle," Charlotte replied as Cassian came over to stand beside her.  
  
"Gag me with a spoon," Diablo muttered, "you guys are way too lovey dovey for me. However the hell you got to be Dark Ninjas is beyond me."  
  
Charlotte turned to him mouth open to retort but the principle's eyes began to flutter open. Diablo grinned at Charlotte pretty much just to piss her off and it worked. He knew she'd probably make him regret it later but it was fun watching her smoulder.  
  
Aniela sat in her American History class wondering if Mr. Cartwright knew exactly how boring he was. Her theory was not only did he know but that he practised at it. No one could be that boring naturally, he had to practice at it, maybe even had professional training.  
  
He droned on and on and on, she wasn't even sure what he was talking about; she'd lost track about ten minutes before. Wenona caught her eye and grinned, obviously she was as bored as Aniela was. Aniela rolled her eyes and grinned back but she didn't yawn though she really, really wanted to. She was very proud of her restraint.  
  
She was just about to drop off to sleep when the door swung open and their principal march in followed by two guys and a girl. Mr. Cartwright looked up shocked and Aniela could understand how he was feeling, Mrs. Reed could be brusque but she was rarely rude, something had to be up.  
  
While Mrs. Reed and Mr. Cartwright spoke quietly amongst themselves Aniela found her attention drawn to the three new kids. The girl was fairly tall and curved in all the right places. She had fair hair cropped tight to her head and a beautiful, oval face. She looked like she had hopped off the front page of a fashion magazine. Aniela disliked her immediately.  
  
One of the boys stood close to the girl, a possessive stance whether he realised it or not. His face was all sharp angles and lines; he had high, prominent cheekbones and a sharp chin. A pair of large, very soft looking lips were all that kept his face from being too sharp, too stark. He was medium height for a guy, which made him about the same height as the girl maybe an inch or two shorter; it depended on how high the girl's heels were. He wore a tight t-shirt to show off his well-defined muscles, the kind of muscles you got from weight lifting or heavy manual labour. Aniela was betting on the weight lifting; he looked like someone who worked on his appearance.  
  
That left one guy, he was tall, very tall about 6ft 1" or 2" and wore a pair of expensive sunglasses and a sardonic smile. He had short, curly blond hair and an extremely handsome face. He had a strong, square jaw, a straight, roman nose and soft, sensuous lips. His long legs were clad in a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt clung to a flat muscled upper body. Aniela didn't know what it was but there was something slightly nefarious about him, as if all black was less of a fashion statement and more of a lifestyle choice.  
  
Wenona scrutinised the new kids with interest, new people in town were few and far between, new Night Worlders in town were an anomaly but 3 new Night Worlders turning up all at once that was very, very strange and it gave her a deep sense of foreboding. Of course she could just be being paranoid; they could all be there for a perfectly innocent reason the fact that she couldn't think of one right then didn't mean anything.  
  
Mrs. Reed left the room abruptly leaving Mr. Cartwright to make the introductions. Cassian Ashcroft, Diablo Mandril and Charlotte Adams, Wenona felt vague recognition at the names but she couldn't quiet remember why she recognised them. They were all definitely Night People, vampires. The boys were lamia and Wenona was pretty sure the girl was made. Maybe she had been changed illegally by one of the boys or something and that was why they were here, yeah that was probably it.  
  
The blond had taken off his sunglasses and was now staring right at her. Wenona felt a chill run through her; darkness clung to the boy just like the dark clothes he wore. There was something incredibly unnerving about the way he looked at her, something beneath those eyes and cool façade, she felt fear rise in her throat but he turned away and she convinced herself she imagined it.  
  
Diablo turned away quickly from the witch girl. There was something in her eyes that said she could see right through him, that she could see straight into his soul and what she saw there wasn't pretty. It was hardly news, he'd never proclaimed to be a pure soul but to have someone look at him like that, look at him like they could see his very essence; it wasn't a pleasant thought. He didn't know why but something about her almost made him feel sorry there wasn't something good in him for her to see, almost. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's notes: Thank you so much to Mandy and redaura for reviewing the first part, I'm glad you guys liked it and yes Diablo is a jerk and is unfortunately determined to stay that way despite endless pleading and bribery on my part.  
  
I also want to thank everyone who reviewed the last part of Bound by Flame and who I didn't get to thank at the time so to Carrie, werepanther, Carina, Jackie W, Queen Kat, Minty_Fresh, Night Angel, Cary Hazel and Orange, thanks guys.  
  
Part 2.  
  
"So what do you guys think?" Diablo asked the others as they sat around a table at lunchtime.  
  
"Seems like an easy mark," Charlotte replied, "No Daybreak protection, all her friends are human, she doesn't seem to be expecting anything. Like I said an easy mark."  
  
"Exactly," Diablo said, "she's an easy mark, simple even so why did they send us? Any vampire on the street could do it so why send a Dark Ninja team and why have us enrol in the school when we could have this over in a day? There's something we don't know about, something they haven't told us and I want to know what the hell it is before we do anything."  
  
"Agreed," Cassian said, "there's something about this one that doesn't feel quite right."  
  
"Jesus," Charlotte muttered, "I feel like I'm talking to a couple of old crones; this doesn't feel right, this gives me a bad feeling, if you start talking spell ingredients I'm out of here."  
  
Cassian grinned, "I know but intuition isn't just a witch thing. It's something you gain with age and experience."  
  
"I'm the same age as you guys," Charlotte snapped.  
  
"Yes but we've been vampires longer. Look it's not even intuition, even you can tell this is suspicious; it's too easy," Diablo told her. "Why would a mark like this warrant sending out 3 of us, there's something we don't know. Maybe we're being paranoid, maybe it's nothing but I'd rather be paranoid and take a few more days to do the job that be over eager and not see those days."  
  
Charlotte glanced at Cassian, "You told me a lot about him but you never said he was a philosopher."  
  
"That's not philosophy," Diablo said, "That's common sense and a desire to stay alive."  
  
Aniela sat beside Wenona at their usual table.  
  
"Is it just me?" she asked, "Or is their something weird about those new kids?"  
  
"How so?" Wenona asked her.  
  
"I don't know; there's just something not right about them. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's nothing; they're just unusual."  
  
"You don't even know them," Wenona said softly unwilling to admit that she too had felt a wrongness about them, but then Aniela could just be picking up on the fact they were vampires. Humans could do that sometimes; pick up on the differentness of Night Worlders.  
  
"You're right of course," Aniela said, "I shouldn't judge them on appearances alone but it's hard not to when they're all you've got to go on."  
  
"Hey," a warm, bright voice broke in from behind them, "how're my two best girls?"  
  
Wenona smiled at the short, cute guy who stood behind them and who would be very mad if he knew she thought of him as cute seeing as he was trying to cultivate a hard image for himself. Aniela rolled her eyes at him and grinned.  
  
"I know what gives us that distinction," she said, "We're the only girls who talk to you."  
  
"That's not true," Alex replied with a lopsided smile, "my mom talks to me and my little sister."  
  
"I stand corrected," Aniela said returning the smile.  
  
He ran a hand through his dark red hair as he sat down in front of the girls and cast a glance in the direction of the new kids.  
  
"So," he asked, "what do we think of the new kids?"  
  
"Funny you should ask that, we were just talking about them," Aniela told him.  
  
"Really girly talk or conspiracy theories?" he asked.  
  
"Conspiracy theories," Aniela replied.  
  
"Oh," he said then lowering the pitch of his voice to a deep bass, "we are now entering the twilight zone. So what have we come up with so far?"  
  
"That they're strange," Wenona told him.  
  
"Wow, they're strange. What great imaginations you have," Alex said his voice laden with sarcasm.  
  
"Well what do you think?" Aniela asked.  
  
"Personally I think they're body snatching aliens from the planet Zarlak."  
  
"Really cause I thought they might be from Mars," Aniela replied.  
  
"You can't do that Aniela," Alex said with mock horror, "you can't just make up planets like that. Mars, where'd did you come up with a name like that?"  
  
"You know that would be funny if I wasn't half afraid that you're serious," Aniela retorted.  
  
Wenona grinned, "You guys never stop do you?"  
  
"Never, I run on Energiser batteries, I just go on and on and on," Alex replied, "How about you Aniela? What's your fuel of preference?"  
  
"Sugar," Aniela responded, "it's the all natural energy provider."  
  
"Speaking of energy providers," Wenona said, "Are we still on for this evening? You were going to help me with Organic chemistry so I can know my octane from my methane."  
  
"Sure, we're meeting outside at 4 right?" Aniela replied.  
  
"Uh-huh, I have Mr. Martin last so I might be a bit late."  
  
"That's okay," Aniela told her with a grin.  
  
As the girls finished making their plans Alex left out a loud sniffle.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Aniela demanded.  
  
"You're making plans without me," he kidded with a large pout.  
  
"Well you can come if you want and study chemistry with us."  
  
"Hell no," he exclaimed, "I didn't take that class for a reason and I'm not about to subject myself to that kind of cerebral torture without need."  
  
"You see," Aniela said," We were only thinking of your well being."  
  
"Yeah," Wenona agreed, "we don't want you stressing that poor, small brain of yours."  
  
"I wish you wouldn't insult my brain like that," Alex told her, "he's very sensitive."  
  
"I think that's what I said," Wenona said with a wide smile.  
  
"Man," Alex groaned, "with friends like these."  
  
The bell rang before either girl had time to think of a retort.  
  
"And on that note I bid you both adieu," Alex said with his trademark lopsided smile. "I'll see you in English."  
  
"See ya," Aniela replied.  
  
"We'll save you a seat," Wenona told him.  
  
"Thanks, preferably one with a view but failing that one I can sleep in undetected would be nice."  
  
"We'll do our best," Wenona laughed.  
  
"Well I'm off to see if it really is possible to blow up the science lab in Physics, here's hoping."  
  
"Try not to blow yourself up with it," Aniela called, "see you in English."  
  
"Guess we'd better go too," Wenona suggested.  
  
"I guess, you know we never did work out what the deal with those new kids was, well unless they really are body snatching aliens from the planet Zarlak."  
  
"It could be," Wenona replied with a slow smile, "anything's possible."  
  
Aniela grinned at her, "Except Alex actually managing to blow up the science lab."  
  
"Except that of course," Wenona agreed. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Rating: 15  
  
Author: Aife Bisclaveret {or Bernadette in the real world}  
  
Title: The Fire That Binds.  
  
Author's notes: This is a sequel to my story Bound By Flame, you don't have to have read Bound By Flame to read this one but if you want to it's on fanfiction.net and ttales.net under Aife Bisclaveret or I can send it to anyone who wants it.  
  
Thanks so much to Claire for commenting on the last part.  
  
Part 3.  
  
Desdemona caught a glimpse of her own face in the rear-view mirror and sighed gently. It was hard to forget her grief even for a moment, especially when her own reflection brought it all tumbling back. It was strange how when they were alive she denied any suggestions of family resemblance but how now she could see her father and brother staring back at her through her own eyes and see her mother's smile in the curve of her lips.  
  
She sat in the passenger seat of the car holding a bunch of flowers tightly in her hands, staring off into space oblivious to the two people with whom she shared the car. She didn't see the concerned glances that were turned to her from time to time nor did she notice the expectant silence that filled the car, waiting for her to react, waiting for her to break down.  
  
Des glanced up as the car pulled onto the main street of a small town. Unexpectedly a smile appeared on her face momentarily; this place, this town had been her home for 18 years she couldn't wipe away the happy memories she had made here, all the sorrow she had experienced here didn't stop it feeling like home. As they neared the church Des could feel herself becoming more and more emotional. She smoothed down her black dress and took a deep breath trying to compose herself. She could do this; she had been through hell and back in the past year; she could handle this.  
  
Neither of the others tried to speak with her before they entered the church and Des was extremely grateful to them for it. They realised that she needed to be left alone with her thoughts and that proved once again how well they knew her and what good friends they were.  
  
She hurried up the church and into one of the front pews. Being in full view made her extremely self-conscious and this became evident in her nervous hand motions. She tucked her hair behind her ears, tugged the hem of her dress, twisted her necklace, touched her face and then went back to her hair beginning the cycle again.  
  
She could almost feel the eyes upon her, could almost feel them searing holes into her flesh. She wondered what they were thinking about her but with an almost physical jolt realised she didn't care. Once this town and these people had been almost all she knew, her life had revolved around them but now they meant practically nothing to her. It was liberating and scary at the same time.  
  
As the service began she could feel herself become emotional again and she was glad the others were there. Just there presence gave her reassurance and support. It was at times like these she missed Gwern most, when the void he had left was biggest. Times like these she needed him most and she didn't even know where he was. With anger she struck any thoughts of Gwern from her mind; he was gone; he wasn't going to come back. All she had was herself and that was enough; it had to be enough. She had gone through more in her short life than Gwern Burdock would if he lived to be 200. And there in lay the crux of their problem, Gwern could live to be 200, hell if he avoided wood and fire Goddess knew how long he could live, in the words of Buzz Lightyear, "To infinity and beyond," and she being merely human had an extremely shorter lifespan. That wasn't their only problem but it had been the subject of their last and largest fight, the one where he'd left, the sword on which their relationship had languished. No, she was not going to think of Gwern; she had enough to deal with today besides adding an errant soulmate to the list.  
  
After the service Des found herself caught up in the small talk that occurred at all occasions like this. She lost count of the number of times she agreed that the service had been beautiful, informed people that no she wouldn't be in town for long and admitted wholeheartedly that of course she missed them. She smiled politely as people told her how they couldn't believe it was a year already. She answered all inquiries about herself as civilly and with as little information as possible. What was she going to tell them anyway?  
  
"Yeah, I've joined a group made up of vampires, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters and humans who are currently trying to save the world. I have my own place in Vegas at the moment but I used to live in a mansion belonging to the head of the group." She was sure they'd take that well.  
  
When everyone had finally left Des collected her bunch of flowers from the car and headed for the little graveyard beside the church. As she passed through the small connecting gate and saw the rows of headstones she almost turned back. She wasn't sure she could do this; it brought back too much of the pain, the sorrow, the guilt. She bit down on her lip hard and steeled herself; she had to face this sooner or later. That was one thing this thing had taught her; you can't run form your problems, no matter where you go they come with you. It was a pity Gwern hadn't learnt the same thing.  
  
There she went again thinking of Gwern; it was like the more she tried not to think about him the more often thoughts about him popped into her head. She couldn't help it he had been such a big part of her life, he was interwoven into everything she was and much as she hated to admit it even though he was gone he was still apart of her life.  
  
That thought brought her to the grave. She stared at the white headstone in front of her. She didn't know what to do. She kneeled down and pulled up some of the weeds growing around the headstone and arranged the flowers she had brought. She ran a hand over the top of the headstone then leaned back and sat on her heels.  
  
"I really miss you guys," she started softly already felling the beginning of tears in her eyes. "I can't believe it's a year. I can barely believe you're gone and I know it was my fault and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I love you Mom, Dad and Jack. I know I wasn't a good daughter but I did love you; I do love you. I'd have done anything to protect you but I didn't know."  
  
Des wiped her face with the back of her hands feeling a little embarrassed by the large, round tears that rolled down her face. She reached out and traced the carved names with her fingers.  
  
"I miss you guys so much," she whispered.  
  
Her tears flowed hot and fast down her cheeks now and she let them come. She let herself go, let herself cry not caring who saw or heard her sobs. Eventually, when she had cried herself out, she stood and said her goodbyes with her voice cracking. On her way back to the car she cleaned her face not wanting the others to see her like that.  
  
The others were leaning against the car chatting when she got back to the churchyard. They smiled warmly at her as she approached them and she smiled wanly back.  
  
"You okay Des?" Lupe asked.  
  
"Yeah," Des told her nodding. "Thanks for coming with me, it really helped having you guys here."  
  
"Anytime," Lupe replied.  
  
"You did good Des," Icarus told her giving her a one armed hug.  
  
"Thanks," she whispered in reply.  
  
"So you ready to go home?" he asked.  
  
Des breathed deeply in and looked around. "Yeah," she said, "lets go home."  
  
  
  
Hannah Snow stood in front of a large window gazing at the two young men talking animatedly in the grounds below. The sun was setting in a blaze of red over the desert framing them both. Somehow it seemed to emphasize the differences between them catching warm, bright highlights in Thierry's blond hair and accentuating the black of Kane's. Hair colour was not the only difference between them of course, in truth the only thing they seemed to have in common was their youth and good looks. However it was not youth they shared but age, they were the two oldest, living, made vampires that Hannah knew of and therefore probably the oldest people in the world.  
  
As their conversation heated up Hannah turned away from the window.  
  
"Living, made vampire, I wonder if that's an oxymoron," she murmured to herself as she headed to her room. "I'll have to ask Thierry."  
  
"She needs protection Thierry, you know she does," Kane said loudly unable to mask the depth of emotion in his voice.  
  
Thierry sighed thoughtfully, "I feel for you Kane, I really do but most of our fighters are on missions, protecting the wild powers or searching for the last one."  
  
"I need your help Thierry, you know I wouldn't ask if," he paused, "I'd do it myself but who knows what kind of attention I'd attract. The report I got wasn't the most reliable. I'm not sure if they know what she is to me but my presence there would confirm any suspicions they have."  
  
Thierry thought for a few minutes as they walked to the house.  
  
"There is one team I could send, they recently lost a member but I've got someone who could replace him."  
  
"Are they good enough?" Kane demanded.  
  
"Kane," Thierry said sternly, "I wouldn't have suggested them if I didn't think they were good enough."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. It's just if she ever got hurt I don't know what I'd do."  
  
"I know," Thierry told him gently, "I feel the same way about Hannah and I'd trust them to protect her."  
  
"Alright," Kane said knowing there was no greater endorsement Thierry could have given of the group. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's notes: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last part.  
  
Orange- Yep, Des and the others are going to be in the story, except for Winema, I don't see her as having a part in this story though that might change. I think they're going to have a more background role but they seem to be pushing themselves a little to the fore at the moment.  
  
Redaura- well Gwern is alive somewhere but I'm not sure if he's going to come back or not yet, he might but then again he mightn't.  
  
Mandy- Des and Gwern are involved in the story but their story is more of a side story though I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen there yet.  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 4.  
  
Diablo yawned widely as he sat in the car waiting for the target to come out of the library. This had to be the most boring assignment he had ever been on in his short but illustrious career, well he considered it illustrious anyway. Damn but this girl was in serious need of a life; they were finally released from that purgatory known as a school and the first place she goes is the library bringing along her little friend who looked as dull as dishwater too.  
  
During school they, well Charlotte really, had discovered that there were only three Night World families in town, one lamia, one coyote 'shifter and one witch. None of them had any particularly strong affiliations with the council but Wenona Blessingway was the only Daybreaker, which added to the mystery of why they were sent to kill her. One lone Daybreaker in a hick town, she was hardly setting the world alight or about to bring down the council so why the hell were they wasting the energy and man-hours on her. There had to be more to this mission, which was why Charlotte was back at their house on the phone to headquarters. At least he hoped so; his curiosity was eating him up. Didn't humans have a saying about that, what was it? Oh yeah, curiosity killed the cat. It was lucky he was a vampire so and not a cat 'shifter.  
  
He drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, how long did it take to get a book or whatever the hell they were doing. They'd been in there for nearly ¾ of an hour. What could they be doing in there?  
  
Ten minutes later, when he was debating whether or not he'd have enough time to feed before they'd finish, they strolled out the doors chatting happily. He didn't know if it was the fact they'd taken so long or because they appeared to have enjoyed themselves but he felt vaguely irritated. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he usually didn't let little things annoy him; it must be because he hadn't fed. He'd have to get on of the others to take over soon.  
  
"Do you want to get a coffee?" Aniela asked Wenona as they left the library.  
  
"I'd love to but I'd better get home; you know how Mom is if I'm late."  
  
"Okay. I probably should get home too. Mom's going to attempt to cook dinner; I don't want to miss the pyrotechnics."  
  
"I thought she was getting better," Wenona said.  
  
"She is," Aniela replied with a laugh, "well she tries, she just doesn't have that part of the brain. There's only one person who wears the apron in our house and that's Dad."  
  
"Yeah but being a chef he must hate having to come home after cooking all day and having to cook again."  
  
"Well he doesn't do much cooking at work anymore, it's mostly doing accounts and all that kind of business stuff and believe me he loves cooking. Mom has to practically tie him down to keep him form interfering and he still yells instructions across the kitchen. He's such a backseat chef. You should come over when mom's cooking someday; it's quite the spectacle. You might want to bring sandwiches though. Mom tends to get flustered and then things tend to get burnt and she starts yelling at Dad in Swedish."  
  
"Sound like fun," Wenona said with a smile.  
  
"It does. I mustn't be telling it right," Aniela replied and laughed.  
  
"Well I'll see you tomorrow I guess," Wenona said as they reached the street.  
  
"I'll call you tonight and tell you about Mom's kitchen escapades."  
  
"Okay," Wenona laughed, "talk to you tonight."  
  
Aniela tossed her backpack into the back of her car with grim satisfaction, she wouldn't have to think about it for a few hours, she wouldn't have to think about school for a few hours. She slid into the front seat and let out an audible sigh of contentment. She loved her car; she had slaved for long hours in her father's restaurant to afford it and she didn't care how many people called it a heap of junk, it was precious to her. She turned the key and the car filled with the sound of loud rock music, she leaned back in the seat letting all the day's tension slide away. It was her daily ritual; the only part of it that ever changed was the music. She started tapping her fingers on the steering wheel along to the beat and smiled, now she was in a good enough mood to face her mother's cooking.  
  
Wenona walked the short distance from the library to her house feeling very uncomfortable. She kept getting the feeling that someone was watching her, which was silly who would be watching her. Still something was making the skin at the back of her neck tingle, it was probably her imagination and the left over frights from the horror film Alex had taken her and Aniela to at the weekend. That was probably it she thought and laughed at herself, imagine a witch who knew about the real horrors in the world getting frightened by some silly movie.  
  
Diablo watched the witch walk slowly down the street. He knew she lived close by and she kept looking around so he let her cover a pretty good distance before he pulled the car onto the street and began to follow her, keeping what he hoped was a discrete distance. The last thing they needed was her to realise he was following her.  
  
When she reached her home he parked a couple of houses down and picked up his cell phone. Cassian answered.  
  
"What were you doing?" Diablo asked, "sitting on the phone."  
  
"Just waiting for your call, darling," Cassian replied.  
  
"What did you find out from the boss?"  
  
"They've changed our brief," Cassian told him, "They want us to watch her, get to know her and all her friends, to find out everything about her and do it quick. The Council still haven't been able to re-infiltrate Daybreak after that purge of all their spies a few months ago so they have no idea when or even if Daybreak will send their agents but they want us gone before then."  
  
"Why didn't they tell us that in the first place?" Diablo muttered to himself.  
  
"Must have found out something new about her," Cassian replied. "Anyway I'll tell you more when you get back. Charlotte's on her way over to relieve you."  
  
Des and Icarus sat silently outside Thierry's office. Neither of them had an idea why Thierry wanted to see them though they had gone over every reason imaginable the night before but still hasn't managed to come up with a plausible explanation. They weren't a team any longer, not since Gwern took off and they hadn't been sent on any assignments since then. Truthfully Des was enjoying being just an ordinary Daybreak member. When she was on assignment she was on edge all the time, always wondering what was coming next and always trying too hard because she always felt she wasn't good enough to be there. She was just a human, a young human with few talents to speak of.  
  
She couldn't really share those fears of inadequacies with the others. They were both strong and extremely competent and from the Night World; they couldn't understand where she was coming from. She had once tried to share with Gwern her fear that she would be the cause of them failing an assignment or even worse that she might be responsible foe someone getting killed, but Gwern had just used it as another reason to argue she should become a vampire. Vampires were stronger, had better senses, and were impervious to injury from everything except wood and fire, being a vampire would help her keep people alive, he had argued. She had socked him in the gut after that one.  
  
Icarus started tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, a sign that he was getting impatient. They had already been waiting for 20 minutes and there was no sign of movement behind the heavy oak door that led to Thierry's office.  
  
"I could be sleeping now," Icarus muttered before stretching and yawning loudly.  
  
"It's nearly 1/2 past 6 in the evening," Des replied.  
  
"Yeah well I could be having a nap, I'm tired."  
  
"That's what you get for staying out all night, you party animal," Des said mockingly.  
  
"Animal okay," Icarus replied with a smile, "but party no, I'm incredibly sorry to say not. I just happen to live above someone who has lots of parties that usually don't end until dawn."  
  
Des grinned, "And I thought I was bad with the guy with the 6 alarm clocks at 6.30 am."  
  
"He's still doing that? You'd think after a while he'd get used to waking at that time and cut back a little."  
  
"Oh, he has," Des told him, "It used to be 10."  
  
Icarus laughed and then looked at his watch.  
  
"Hmmm speaking of time keeping," he said, "I always thought Thierry was a master of punctuality."  
  
"Generally he is," a soft, female voice answered, "but he can't always control how long other people are going to talk for. He is ready for you guys now."  
  
Icarus grinned sheepishly at Hannah, he hadn't meant for anyone but Des to hear that comment. He hadn't known she was there which just went to show how tired he was. So tired his brain hadn't processed the signals his enhanced senses had been sending it.  
  
"So why does he want to see us?" Des asked Hannah.  
  
"I really can't say," Hannah replied, "he wants to tell you himself."  
  
"Sounds ominous," Des said softly.  
  
"And getting called to see Thierry on short notice with no idea why isn't ominous?" Icarus said with a grin.  
  
Des laughed and Hannah smiled softly. It was good to see Des laughing; Hannah had been wondering how Des was coping with Gwern leaving. Considering how Gwern had acted when she'd left him a few months back she was expecting brooding and anger but Des seemed fine. Hannah wasn't too worried anyway she knew Gwern would come back and they'd get back together. Not because they were soulmates, or because they loved each other or even because they needed each other but because despite all the anger and fighting they really wanted to be together.  
  
Thierry smiled at them as they entered his office and indicated for them to sit.  
  
"I realise you must both be wondering why I sent for you," he began, "but before I begin there's someone I want you to meet."  
  
Hannah opened another door and ushered a pretty, young woman through. She appeared to be around the same age as Des and Icarus and was quite tall with thick, brown hair that had bronze highlights. She seemed a little nervous to Des. Her eyes were slightly downcast and her smile was shy.  
  
"Cynthia," Thierry addressed her first, "I'd like you to meet Desdemona Lynch and Icarus Phelan."  
  
She shook hands warmly with them both and said pleased to meet you," in an accent Des pegged as English but she wasn't quite sure of.  
  
"Des, Rus," Thierry said turning his attention to them, "this is Cynthia Leonard. Cynthia's a member of Circle Daybreak in Britain; she's over on a sort of exchange we agreed with Gawen when he was over. She's basically acting as a liaison between the two circles. And she's the new member of your team."  
  
"What?" Des and Icarus both exclaimed in shock.  
  
"She's the new member of your team," Thierry repeated patiently.  
  
Icarus's surprise changed to interest as he began to examine her, evaluating her use as a team member. Des however remain in a state of bewilderment with a healthy dollop of disappointment and pain mixed in. They'd got someone to replace Gwern, which meant that they didn't he'd be coming back. He was never coming back.  
  
"Of course this will just be a temporary arrangement," Thierry added quickly, "just until Gwern returns."  
  
"Guess I thought that one a little too loudly," Des said softly.  
  
"No," Thierry replied compassionately, "you just let your barriers down for a moment, intense emotions can cause that sometimes."  
  
Both Hannah and Icarus turned looks of pity on Des while Cynthia looked at the floor looking as she felt left out.  
  
"So I guess this means we're going on an assignment," Des said in an attempt to remove the unwanted attention from herself.  
  
"You guess correctly," Thierry told her with a smile.  
  
"So what is it?" Icarus asked. "The fourth wild power in desperate need of our protection? Or an awakened dragon bent on murder and destruction?"  
  
"Not quite," Thierry replied suppressing a grin. "An old friend of mine requested some protection for a friend of his. He believes she may be in danger."  
  
Icarus sighed, "See how far from grace we have fallen, those who were once held high in esteem now sent to baby-sit our boss's chum's girlfriend."  
  
Des giggled, "Come on 'Rus you love the quiet life, admit it."  
  
"I won't force you to accept the assignment," Thierry told them. "This is a request, not an order but I'd consider it a personal favour if you would."  
  
Des thought over his offer for a moment, Thierry obviously had his reasons for wanting to send them and though the girl might not be in danger, she might be too. Whatever her hang ups about her own abilities it wouldn't feel right to leave someone in potential danger without protection and going on an assignment was just one more step in getting her life back to some kind of normality since Gwern's departure.  
  
"We'll do it," Des replied.  
  
"But Des," 'Rus whined but was quietened by a cold glare that would have made Gwern proud.  
  
"We accept," Des repeated then shot a pleading look at Rus. "Come on Rus, we need a little action and we need to get out of Vegas for a while before we get too soft. Then softly she added, "I think it's about time we both started living our lives again." 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
  
  
Author's notes: This is a sequel to my story Bound By Flame but you don't have to have read Bound By Flame to read this one.  
  
Thanks so much to redaura, Mandy and Athena for reviewing, I'm glad you like the story so far. Things should start getting more interesting after this part well things are going to start happening anyway.  
  
Thanks redaura for giving me the heads up on my lack of spaces, I hope this is better now.  
  
Part 5.  
  
Aniela grinned as her mother hopped from pot to pot making sure nothing was burning. Her pale skin was flushed a warm pink colour and a thin coating of perspiration was visible on her forehead and some strands of her light, blond hair had escaped from her bun adding to her flustered appearance.  
  
"Dinner will be ready soon, käresta" she told Aniela and noticing the smirk on her face added, "stop laughing at me. Stop looking at me, better yet get out of my kitchen."  
  
"You sound just like Dad," Aniela replied.  
  
"Heaven forbid," her mother replied and then gave a yelp as one of her pots boiled over.  
  
Aniela giggled as she retreated hastily to the sanctuary of her bedroom. Her cat Abra was stretched out comfortably on her bed, snoozing in a stream of sunlight that beamed in through her window. She gave Aniela a disdainful look as she entered and then returned to sleep.  
  
"Yeah I love you too Abra," Aniela replied freeing her hair from the ponytail she'd had it in.  
  
She turned to her mirror and sighed. Looking back at her she saw a girl, who was basically round, round features, rounded shoulders and a big, round belly.  
  
"Why should I want to be someone else?" she whispered as she pressed her fingers to her reflected image. "So I could know what it's like to be wanted," she answered herself.  
  
She searched her reflection for her few redeeming qualities, she had a clear complexion but she was much too pale in her opinion and her dark brown eyes and hair, which she actually liked, only served to highlight her paleness.  
  
Aniela glared at her reflection again and then grinned. "So I'm never going to be pretty," she thought, "I know this already. Anyway I like who I am now, I like my life and I'm not going to let myself get depressed over how I look, not anymore. I've got nice eyes and nice hair, I'm not ugly and even if other people don't like how I look I do."  
  
"So there," she thought and stuck her tongue out at the mirror. Laughing at herself she grabbed her sketchpad and eased herself into her chair to attempt a drawing of Abra.  
  
She was working on the shading when her mother burst into the room.  
  
"Aniela, I've been calling you for the last twenty minutes, your dinner is going cold."  
  
"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. I was drawing and I just lost track of time I guess," Aniela replied.  
  
"Really? Or are you just trying to avoid my cooking?" her mother asked.  
  
"Really see. Though that would have been a good idea, I might try it next time," she said showing her the sketch of Abra.  
  
"That's very good," her mom told her, "very, very good."  
  
Aniela felt her face heat up as she blushed at her mom's praise. She mumbled something that she'd intended to be thank you but ended up being an incoherent babble that even she couldn't understand.  
  
Her mom laughed at her, "You know your problem, Ani, you don't know how to take a compliment. Now come on for your dinner, I think your dad thinks I might have put you in the soup."  
  
Aniela grinned, her dad probably had made some sort of remark like that. It was standard practise in their family to insult her mom's cooking even her mom was known to make jokes at her own expense. Not that her cooking was terrible all the time, usual it was okay but every so often she'd have a major disaster. But as Abra had vamoosed under the bed when her mother made her grand entrance Aniela no longer had a model or a valid excuse for avoiding her mother's culinary adventure.  
  
"Alright I'm coming," she said reluctantly, "I suppose it's got to be better than last time's extra crispy, black chicken."  
  
  
  
Diablo grinned wickedly at Charlotte, "So we use our incomparable charms to insinuate ourselves into her little group."  
  
"No," Charlotte replied, "Cassian and I use our incomparable charm, you just try not to act too much like yourself."  
  
"You wound me Charlotte, you really do," Diablo said with bitter sarcasm. "Then what?"  
  
"Then we report back everything we find out about her."  
  
"That's it," Diablo asked, "no specifics, no further instructions?"  
  
"None," Charlotte replied.  
  
"So basically we follow her around like a bunch of rookies. What do they think we are, a group of kids."  
  
Charlotte grinned at Diablo's tirade then replied, "we are to them."  
  
"I haven't been a kid for a very, very long time," Diablo said softly.  
  
Charlotte believed him; she could hear it in his voice, a bitterness, a coldness that hinted at experience far beyond his years. For a moment she almost felt sorry for him, then cut it off quickly, it was good that he was cold; it made him a better Dark Ninja; it meant he wouldn't hesitate to get the job done, to kill. She was much safer with someone like him backing her up. Anyway he wasn't the only person to have a bad childhood and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it had made him strong and he wasn't complaining.  
  
Diablo got angrier and angrier as he drove back to the house. Those smarmy council bastards. They knew there was no way he'd have accepted this job if he'd known it was a stupid information gathering assignment. Why the hell they'd sent him off to the middle of nowhere in Colorado of all places to spy on one boring witch was beyond him.  
  
"Damn," he exclaimed as a realisation hit him. "That old bastard."  
  
That Blackthorn ass had had it in for him ever since he'd tried it on with his daughter and this had all the hallmarks of one of his sly payback schemes. Oh yeah it was just like him to get Diablo sent off on an insignificant mission while the most important conflict since the Night Wars was going on. Well if he was stuck here then he was going to have some fun. Obviously he couldn't mess with the witch just yet but there were plenty of humans around to toy with, sure they were usually a little too easy but it was still fun, which reminded him, he still had to feed.  
  
  
  
Des sat in the passenger seat of the silver ford listening to Rus and Cynthia chat away to each other. It felt strange to be going on a mission without Gwern. She missed the friendly squabbling between the two boys; she missed how Gwern would turn to her and smile reassuringly and all her insides would turn to liquid.  
  
"So what do you think of Circle Daybreak here?" Rus asked her.  
  
"Oh well it's pretty similar to back home," Cynthia replied, "except Thierry's a little bit more laid back than Gawen."  
  
"More laid back?" Icarus asked surprised.  
  
"Yeah well that could be because of Gawen's James Bond complex. Everything's a mission and he tends to be pretty formal with briefings and things not exactly the kind of friendly meeting you had with Thierry. I mean he even has a Q."  
  
"A Q?" Des asked.  
  
"Yeah, he has one of the guys coming up with new and inventive weaponry for us. I bet he's just dying for the day that he manages to fit a stake in a watch. If he had his way we'd all have double o code numbers, he'd be oo7 of course."  
  
"Of course," Des said and giggled. "I guess we can't complain about Thierry any more."  
  
"I know," Icarus said with a sigh, "what a pity, you know how much I enjoy a good moaning session."  
  
"Yeah I do," Des replied. "You're going to have to learn the signs he's about to start," she told Cynthia, " and avoid him totally at all those times specially in the morning."  
  
"Hey," Rus exclaimed, "You are way worse than me in the morning. Gwern was," he stopped realising what he said.  
  
"It's okay," Des said softly, "you're allowed talk about him you know. I don't mind, sometimes I want to talk about him."  
  
  
  
"I don't mean to sound rude," Cynthia said, "and you don't have to tell me if you don't want, but who's Gwern?"  
  
"It's okay," Des said, "we're the one's being rude talking as if you're not here. Gwern's my soulmate he's AWOL at the moment."  
  
"AWOL," Cynthia asked.  
  
"He left," Des told her, "after we fought."  
  
"he just left?" Cynthia asked.  
  
"Pretty much," Des replied.  
  
"He'll be back," Icarus said.  
  
"Yeah," Des said softly.  
  
"You don't sound convinced," Rus said, "he loves you Des, even more than he admits to, you love him and you're meant to be together." He paused and glanced over at Des, "So please don't shatter my romantic allusions here."  
  
"I'm trying to hang on to my own here I'm not about to crush yours," Des told him, "I just wish I could be as sure as everyone else that he's coming back."  
  
"He's coming back," Icarus said and left it at that.  
  
Cynthia felt more than uncomfortable in the silence that followed obviously she had brought up a sore topic, though she couldn't understand why Gwern would have left Des, if they were soulmates shouldn't they be together no matter what, of course she could just be being totally naïve.  
  
"So what do we know about this girl we've to protect," Rus asked to break the silence.  
  
"Well her name's Wenona Blessingway, she's a witch and she lives in Colorado. And that's about it," Des told him.  
  
"So who are we protecting her from?" Cynthia asked.  
  
"I know as much as you do which is nothing," Des replied, "It's very annoying to have to protect someone without knowing who we've to protect them from or even why she needs protection but that's the way Thierry's friend wants it."  
  
"Great, well I always like a challenge," Rus said with a grin.  
  
"That's true if your girlfriends are anything to go by," Des said laughing.  
  
Cynthia smiled, Des and Rus got on so well together, they were so easy with each other it made her feel sort of out of place but maybe she'd find her place with them. She hoped so; they seemed so nice and whatever chatty front they might put on it they were committed to what they did. Maybe Thierry had sent them on this mission so that they could build a relationship and get used to working together, and a nice simple mission would be nice after the last one she'd been on back home. Yeah a nice, simple mission was probably just what she needed. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
  
  
Author's notes: This is a sequel to my story Bound By Flame but you don't have to have read Bound By Flame to read this one.  
  
I am so sorry this part took so long but I had a history essay to write last week, and believe me this essay was evil. Not only did I spend all week working on it and still only get it finished a couple of hours before it was due in but on my way to hand it in I tripped on some steps and sprained my ankle so like I said evil essay. There are some other reasons too but believe me no-one wants to hear about them. Though to make up for it I hope to get another part out later this week.  
  
Anyway thank you so much to those who reviewed the last part  
  
Redaura: sorry about the breaks usually I have them in but I don't know what happened the last time. As for who's getting soulmated, that's a secret. Well there are quite a few soulmates in it already, Des and Gwern, Cassian and Charlotte but there is going to be another soulmate couple who are going to have the same kind of connection as Des and Gwern. And as for everyone saying Gwern's coming back, the only one who knows if he is or not is Gwern, I don't even know.  
  
Mandy: Thanks so much for reviewing, I understand how you feel about the characters Des and Gwern are my favourites out of all the characters I've ever written so I couldn't help but put them in the sequel.  
  
Athena: I don't know where Gwern is, he's somewhere in the US doing something that's all I know, he's being annoyingly mysterious. And I'm sorry this part took so long, extenuating circumstances but the next part will hopefully be out on Friday.  
  
Orange: Thank you so much for reviewing. No, Gwern's not dead, well not yet anyway, no I'm not that cruel, he's, well I don't know where he is but he's alive.  
  
  
  
Part 6.  
  
Aniela was the first of the group to notice the new kids newfound interest in their little group. In their first class she had caught the girl staring at Wenona a couple of times and in the class after that the tall, blond guy split his time between flirting with Miriam, the biggest flirt in the school if not the state, and gazing at Wenona. Normally she would have put it down to a little crush developing but in the last class before lunch all three of them had been watching her and Wenona and it was starting to freak her out.  
  
"Okay," she said putting her tray down on the table and sitting beside Wenona, "what is our big attraction?"  
  
"What?" Wenona asked.  
  
"The new kids have been staring at us all day; I was just wondering why?"  
  
"Because we're so interesting, so cool and so popular," Alex replied. "No wait scratch that I have no idea."  
  
"Maybe they just find us interesting," Wenona said softly, "I mean they're new, t hey don't know anyone here maybe they're just looking for people to be friends with."  
  
"I guess," Aniela replied, "but they're just freaking me out, they keep looking at us."  
  
"Poor Ani, you're just not used to getting attention," Alex said with a grin.  
  
"However true that may be," Aniela said returning the grin, "I don't think that's the problem."  
  
"Well what is the problem?" Alex asked.  
  
"I'm not sure maybe it's just them, they're sort of freaky," Aniela told him.  
  
"You don't even know them Ani," Wenona said sternly, "they could be very nice people."  
  
"If they are they can stop staring and come over and introduce themselves like polite, civilised, nice people."  
  
"You sound just like my mother," Alex told her.  
  
"What can I say my nonna taught me to appreciate manners," Aniela replied.  
  
"Maybe they're just shy," Wenona suggested.  
  
"Look at them Wenona, do they look shy to you?" Aniela asked.  
  
"No I guess not," Wenona replied smiling, "but we'll see."  
  
  
  
  
  
Diablo banged his tray down hard on the table causing some of the food on it to splash toward Charlotte.  
  
"Hey watch it," she snapped.  
  
"Whatever," Diablo replied. "How the hell can they eat this slop?" He asked staring at his lunch. "You were once one of the vermin masses Charlotte, why don't you explain it to me."  
  
"With great difficulty," Charlotte told him as she slapped her fork around in her tray.  
  
"Well I guess it's fitting that vermin should eat swill," Diablo said pushing the tray away from him.  
  
"Do you think you could at least try to pretend to be somewhat normal. For appearances sake at least," Charlotte suggested.  
  
"I really don't see how eating this crap could be any way construed as normal," Diablo replied.  
  
"Well our friends don't seem to have a problem with it," Cassian said nodding towards the table where the Daybreak witch sat with her friends.  
  
"Well that just proves my point doesn't it," Diablo answered.  
  
Charlotte just rolled her eyes at him and changed the subject. "So what's the plan now?" she asked, "Not that just watching them during class isn't immensely useful and interesting."  
  
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit you know," Diablo drawled.  
  
"Yeah well at least it's wit," Charlotte replied.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Diablo asked.  
  
"Work it out for yourself."  
  
"But that would involve having to understand how your mind works and I don't really want to sink that low," Diablo retorted.  
  
"Bite me," Charlotte snapped.  
  
"I would but Cassian got there before me," Diablo replied.  
  
"Children," Cassian interrupted, "when you're quite finished." He paused until the others shut up. "Good, now after lunch we're doing the divide and conquer routine. All three of them have different classes so each of us will have a chance to approach one of them alone and basically try to make friends. I'm going to be in economics with the witch, Charlotte you're in computer studies with the guy and Diablo you're in art with the girl."  
  
"Oh great," Diablo spat, "why do I get her? Why can't I have the witch or even the guy. Come on what am I supposed to say to her? Anyway I think she suspects us of something, she's always looking at us. It freaks me out."  
  
"Don't be such a baby," Cassian replied. "She's just a human, what can she suspect us of? Just compliment her art or something. Flirt with her, you spend enough time flirting with human girls anyway."  
  
"What do you think we should look for or ask?" Charlotte asked Cassian ignoring Diablo who had gone into a sulk and was pouting like a 3 year old.  
  
"I don't know," Cassian replied. "I think we should keep it fairly friendly and informal, no suspicious questions or anything but of course keep your guard up and ears open. I don't think the humans know anything about the Night World but she is a Daybreaker so you never know. So we'd better have our story straight. Diablo what's the story?" he asked sternly.  
  
"There are two stories," Diablo replied his voice dangerously low revealing his anger and impatience. "One for the humans and one for the night people. We tell the humans we moved here with our foster parents, our foster father is currently away on business and our foster mother's mother is very ill at the moment and she's gone to look after her. She left us her because she didn't want to take us out of school so soon after we just started.  
  
We tell the night people we were sick of living on an enclave and wanted to get out in the real world and for the witch we add that you changed Charlotte illegally and spout all that soulmate crap you go on with, she'll eat it up and we'll be best buddies."  
  
"Good, you know them," Charlotte said.  
  
"Of course I bloody know them. I came up with them," Diablo snapped angrily.  
  
"Well I just thought talking to the airhead all day might have made your brain go soft," Charlotte replied smirking.  
  
"I was pumping her for information, thought I'd tap her brain," Diablo replied.  
  
"More like tap a vein," Cassian quipped.  
  
"That too," Diablo murmured lazily.  
  
"You know what," Charlotte said, "guys are disgusting."  
  
"You're realising this now?" Cassian asked.  
  
"No," Charlotte replied, "but after that little exchange I felt the need to reiterate it."  
  
Diablo found his attention drifting as Cassian and Charlotte continued their conversation. He had a very short attention span for conversations that didn't involve him or weren't about him. He cast his eye around the noisy cafeteria and came to rest on the girl he was supposed to befriend. She was short and plump and with little to attract except of course her blood, which was pretty much all that vermin girls had to attract him anyway. She picked up a carton of milk and he found his attention drawn to her hands. Her fingers were long and deft and her hands as a whole were well formed, kind of artistic he decided.  
  
He noticed that during any lulls in their conversation her eyes travelled around the cafeteria and he just knew she was taking in everything around her unlike the self-absorbed vermin girls he normally spent time around who couldn't even see their noses right in front of them. He could see the gleam of intelligence in her eyes and grimaced, the only thing worse than vermin was vermin with brains. He knew now that he was right, she was suspicious of them and she was going to be bloody hard to convince otherwise. Though that would mean a challenge and he always enjoyed a challenge.  
  
  
  
Aniela stared at the bowl of fruit in front of her ignoring everything else in the room. Her hands moved swiftly over the page in front of her as dark lines of charcoal took on the appearance of said bowl of fruit. If there was one class she enjoyed, it was art. Their teacher was easy going and wasn't even in the room half the time and she spent the time actually doing something she liked rather than listening to someone talk about something. Well actually her teachers didn't talk they droned.  
  
"Aniela," the teacher called her name and Aniela reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the fruit.  
  
Once she saw she had her attention the teacher continued, "I'd like you to show, what did you say your name was?" She asked the guy beside her.  
  
"Diablo," he told her, "Diablo Mandril."  
  
"I'd like you to show Diablo where everything is. I've to go to the staff room for a few minutes."  
  
Aniela left her stool reluctantly and headed up to the top of the room where the boy stood looking much to pleased with himself for her liking. The more she saw of him the less she liked of him. Okay so he was pretty gorgeous but he knew he was his every movement and stance told her that he was conceited and she had a profound dislike of conceited people. And he had this kind of bad boy thing going on, not the kind of James Dean image Alex was currently trying to cultivate, more like he was actually bad, like he wouldn't shy away from doing anything. His name was Diablo for God's sake.  
  
That train of thought brought her right in front of him. Her eyes were down turned so she saw his black boots first and then her eyes travelled up long, jean clad legs to a dark shirt with an even darker design on the front that she couldn't quite make out some kind of flower. Her eyes were level with his middle so she had to tilt her head upwards to see his face. He had this cocksure, smarmy smile on his face that made her hand itch to slap him.  
  
"I'm Diablo," he told her.  
  
"I heard," she replied, "I'm not deaf."  
  
"Charming," he muttered.  
  
"I heard that too," she said softly.  
  
"Well now that you've demonstrated your aural abilities maybe you'd like to show me where everything is," he responded.  
  
"Like is not the word," she replied, "have to is more correct."  
  
Diablo glared at the back of her head as she walked around the room pointing out presses and shelves. "I can't hurt her," he thought to himself, "however much I'd like to. I can't hurt her no matter how annoying she is."  
  
"Well now you know where everything is I suggest you get started on something before Ms. Perkins comes back."  
  
"Does she do this often?" Diablo asked deciding that if he was going to make friends with her he'd have to at least make some pleasant small talk.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Leave the room."  
  
"Sure, anytime she needs a caffeine or nicotine fix," Aniela told him then turned away from him cutting off any more chance of conversation or so she thought. He followed her as she walked back to her seat and positioned himself on the stool beside her.  
  
"What are you doing?" she snapped.  
  
"Sitting down," he replied lazily.  
  
"Yes but why are you sitting here?"  
  
"Because this is where I was told to sit."  
  
"Oh great," she muttered darkly.  
  
"See I knew you liked me really," Diablo said knowing it would annoy her.  
  
"You are such an ass."  
  
"Why thank you," he replied with a smug smile.  
  
Aniela glowered at the blond idiota beside her and let off a string of expletives in Italian.  
  
"Man from looking at you I'd have never thought you were such a gutter mouth," Diablo told her.  
  
"Don't even pretend you understood any of that," Aniela shot back.  
  
"Maybe not," he replied with his irritating smile, "but I could tell it was bad."  
  
"It was," Aniela responded, "but nothing you didn't deserve."  
  
"Probably not," Diablo agreed with a wicked smile.  
  
"At least you admit it."  
  
"Hey I'll admit to anything I've done, probably even a few things I haven't done. As long as it helps the reputation."  
  
"You don't have a reputation here yet," Aniela murmured.  
  
"Yet being the operative word," he replied.  
  
"Do you know how annoying you are?" Aniela asked.  
  
"Yes, do you know how annoying you are?"  
  
"I'm not annoying," Aniela replied.  
  
"Are too," he retorted.  
  
"Am not."  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Shut up and let me do my work," she snapped angrily.  
  
"There's no need to get snappy," he said, "particularly when you started it."  
  
"I did not," Aniela replied.  
  
"Did too," Diablo muttered, "and could we get any more elementary school."  
  
"Speak for yourself," Aniela said biting back a grin hoping he hadn't seen it, he was already conceited enough he didn't need to think she found him anyway funny.  
  
He didn't come back with any attempted witticism so Aniela glanced surreptitiously at him. He was looking down at her page with surprise etched all over his face.  
  
"What?" she snapped.  
  
"It's good," he said softly.  
  
Aniela looked at him trying to discern any sarcasm or falsehood in his person that she hadn't picked up on in his voice but he seemed to be fairly genuine. She could feel her face becoming hot and knew she was turning red. She did not want to blush in front of the creep and the fact that she was embarrassed her more causing her to become even redder. She looked at him again and he was grinning, laughing at her, God she hated this guy.  
  
Diablo could sense the animosity radiating from the girl and he couldn't really understand it, he'd been trying to be nice, he'd told her he liked her art what was wrong with that. He'd never understand vermin not if he lived to be a millennia old. He decided it would be best if he left her alone for the rest of the class, give her a chance to cool down and try again later.  
  
  
  
Diablo was surprised to see Charlotte waiting for him outside when class was over.  
  
"Hey what's up?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing just came to see how you got on," she replied.  
  
"I got on fine," he paused, "and what are you looking so smug about?"  
  
"Oh nothing, I just got us invited to go out with them all tomorrow night."  
  
"Wow that's so great," Diablo said sarcasm dripping from each word.  
  
"Okay I know it's not the most incredible news ever but it does mean we get a chance to interact with them and maybe get some information, and hell it's more than you got right."  
  
Diablo just glowered at her and headed towards his next class. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Warnings: Swearing and a little violence.  
  
Author's notes: This is a sequel to my story Bound By Flame but you don't have to have read Bound By Flame to read this one.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last part,  
  
Redaura: I know the only Gwern knows bit is annoying me too but everytime I try to figure out where he is I'm never quite able to figure it out, I think he may be in Canada or have been in Canada. Thanks so much for reviewing and for the get well soon.  
  
Orange: I'm glad you like Aniela, the more I write of her the more I like her. Diablo's definitely cruising for a bruising but somehow I think what's going to happen to him will be much worse in his eyes.  
  
Mandy: I actually have more of an idea of where this is going than I do with most fics I write though there are somethings I'm just finding out as I write like Cynthia's past, I've no idea what's lurking there but hopefully things will start to come together more from this part on. Thanks so much for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter.  
  
  
  
Part 7.  
  
Des peered out the car window trying to look inconspicuous. They were parked on the side of the street, 2 doors down and on the opposite side to the house they were looking at. It was a small, pretty, detached 2-storey house with a large front garden filled with flowers that were just coming into bloom.  
  
Icarus sat beside her rifling through the file Thierry had given them; it was fairly sketchy but it did have a few photos that helped them identify the house. Cynthia sat in the back seat and she too was looking at the house. Des watched as her eyes flicked from place to place taking everything in and identifying the danger areas. She had the window rolled down so she could make the most of all her shapeshifter senses.  
  
"I can't believe we're sitting outside her house waiting for her to come home from school, anything could be happening to her while we're just sitting here," Des said suddenly.  
  
"Come on Des," 'Rus said gently, "you worry too much, Thierry said they weren't even sure if anyone was watching her much less out to kill her. It's very unlikely anything's happening to her."  
  
"Unlikely but not impossible," Des replied.  
  
"Des if I thought she was in danger I'd be the first one running off to find her," Icarus said sternly letting it be known just by the tone of his voice that he didn't like her questioning him especially since he was supposed to be in charge.  
  
"Sorry 'Rus, I wasn't questioning you or anything, I was just wondering," Des replied.  
  
"No problem Des. Hey, did I show you this picture of her yet? She's hot."  
  
Des grinned at how easily Icarus slipped from the mantle of responsible, stern leader back into that of fun-loving carefree teenage guy. She also worried a little about what he'd said.  
  
"Icarus," she said softly, "you're not going to do anything silly are you?"  
  
"Silly how?" he asked.  
  
"Silly like falling for this girl," Des replied, "you know what happened last time."  
  
"What happened last time?" Cynthia asked turning her attention from the sidewalk to her two companions.  
  
"Icarus fell for this girl we were protecting and got hurt in more ways than one," Des told her.  
  
"Hey I could so have taken that guy, you know if she wasn't yelling at me not to hurt him. Anyway I haven't even meet this girl yet, who's to say I'll even like her and if I do it's no big deal."  
  
"It is too a big deal," Des replied, "you'll just get hurt and Thierry's friend's her boyfriend so it's not like you have a chance."  
  
"Well that's really helping my self image," Icarus answered, "thanks a lot Des. Anyway Thierry said they were friends he never said they were more than that."  
  
"Come on," Des said with a small smile, "you know how Thierry is when he says they're friends he means they're something more."  
  
"Yeah," Cynthia agreed, "he's what 30,000 years old, he's about as old fashioned as you can get, he's hardly going to say they're bonk buddies or something."  
  
Icarus looked at her strangely.  
  
"What?" she exclaimed.  
  
"I can't believe you said that," he replied, "bonk buddies, I mean I though English people were reserved and well kind of stuffy and you go and say something like that, I mean do you conform to any cultural stereotypes or is my picture of English people forever dashed?"  
  
Cynthia laughed. "Well I do drink tea," she suggested.  
  
"You do, well that's okay then," Icarus replied actually looking relieved.  
  
Des laughed at him and turned to Cynthia. "Just ignore him," she advised, "that's what everyone else does."  
  
"That hurt Des, really," Icarus responded.  
  
Cynthia watched as the two continued their insult match and smiled. They reminded her of her team back home who were constantly at each other's throats but when it came down to the crunch they'd do anything for each other. She could tell Des and Icarus had that kind of bond, that they'd never let anything happen to the other person if they could help it. Though that wasn't necessarily a good thing, not always. She paused stopping the thought before it got where she knew it was going and turned to watch the house again getting angry with herself when the scene before her became blurry with unshed tears. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she wiped her eyes quickly with the back of her hands hoping neither of the others had seen them.  
  
She peered out at the tranquil neighbourhood and opened her senses properly. It was the smells that hit her first, spring flowers mixed with the smell of rich, newly turned earth from the newly created flowerbed in a nearby garden. She caught the faint scent of smaller animals, pets, cats and dogs, the odour of fresh paint from a newly white porch; she separated out all the different smells each telling their own story. Even without the photo she could have picked out the witches' house with its smell of growing herbs and the smell of magic more a taste than a smell. White, pure magic that was a light, sweet taste not like the dark, circle midnight magic with its metallic taste that cloyed at the back of her throat.  
  
"Maybe we should go inside and wait for her there," Icarus said. "I mean if there are Night World agents here it would be best for them not to know we're here yet."  
  
"So what we just go to her mother and say hey we think someone's after your daughter can we wait in here with you so they don't see us?" Cynthia asked cynically.  
  
"I was thinking we'd say your daughter's bonk buddy sent us to protect daughter," Icarus replied with a challenge in his eyes daring her to make a come back at him.  
  
Des broke in before she could do so, "Look she's a witch she's with us unless she's one of the darker than dark witches and somehow I doubt that so we tell her the truth, that Thierry sent us, I don't think she'll question it."  
  
"Okay. Lets do it," Icarus said pulling the door handle and slipping out of the car in one smooth, fluid motion that betrayed his Night World origins. Though the foxglove ring he wore would have pointed it out to anyone who looked close enough.  
  
Cynthia followed moving with an elegance and grace that masked the power and strength in her movements. Des followed slowly stumbling a little and feeling like a complete clod; she knew she could never compare to a Night Person, sometimes she wondered if that was why Gwern had really left her, that he needed someone who was Night World and she could never fight the bill. Sometimes she imagined that he was off somewhere with some perfect lamia girl and had completely forgotten her; she didn't believe it of course but the thought alone scared her, scared her more than the thought she might never see him again.  
  
She shook her head lightly trying to banish the thoughts and images that were running roughshod through her mind. Sometimes she hated Gwern so much for making her feel like this and sometimes she just longed for him to come back, to feel his arms around her and hear him tell her everything was alright. When she felt like that she could feel the soulmate connection tugging at her, burning her but it was stretched so thin and taunt sometimes she felt it was going to disappear altogether.  
  
  
  
Wenona walked slowly home from school; she could sense the change of season on the air and she dawdled to enjoy it. The taste of spring on the air made her smile, not that she hated winter, there were parts of it she liked a lot; she loved Samhain and Yule it was just the grey in between she disliked. Spring, however, spring was a season she loved, the reawakening of the earth always made her feel somehow more alive.  
  
She reached up to secure the black dahlia clip she wore in her hair and pondered what she would wear that night. Alex had invited the new kids to come along with them. She didn't mind that having gotten to know Cassian and Charlotte a little in the part two days but Aniela had been dead against it and Alex had to practically beg her to get her to agree to come out. Wenona didn't understand Aniela's dislike of them they all seemed nice even Diablo though he could be a little annoying. But Ani really seemed to hate him and to view the others with distrust.  
  
When she got home she dropped her bag in the hall and went in search of her mother.  
  
"Mom," she called.  
  
"I'm in the kitchen," came the reply.  
  
The door to the kitchen was slightly open and through the crack Wenona could see a pair of legs that definitely didn't belong to her mother. They wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a heavy, pair of brown boots. For a moment she thought it might be him but she knew it wasn't, he had told her he wasn't going to come to see her for a few months and anyway he always called before he came to the house, he felt it would be impolite to do otherwise.  
  
On entering the kitchen she discovered three strangers gathered around the table drinking lemonade and chatting easily with her mother. The legs belonged to a guy with short brown hair, he was handsome and she pegged him for Night World straight away though she was unsure of what species. The other two were girls not too much older than her, one had very long, thick auburn hair and a sweet but some how sad smile on her face, the other girl was tall and she had brown hair too but with dyed bronze highlights.  
  
"Wenona," her mother said, "this is Icarus, Cynthia and Des, they're from Circle Daybreak."  
  
"Hi," the guy said.  
  
"Umm, hello," Wenona replied confused as to why these three daybreakers were at her house.  
  
"Lord Thierry sent us," the guy, Icarus told her. "A friend of yours asked him to send you some protection and we're it."  
  
"Protection?" Wenona said surprised, "But why would I need protection? I'm no-one special."  
  
"We don't really know," one of the girls said, "we were just told you may be in trouble and that we were to protect you."  
  
"From what exactly?" Wenona asked.  
  
"We don't know that either, presumably the Night World," Icarus said.  
  
"So let me get this straight," Wenona said, "you were sent here to protect me from you don't know what for you don't know what reason?"  
  
"Pretty much," Icarus agreed, "we were hoping you could shed some light on it."  
  
"I don't know," Wenona said softly, " I mean I don't think I need protection."  
  
"He must think you thought," her mother said, "if he went to Thierry he must really feel you are in danger."  
  
"That's true," Wenona said, "I suppose it's better safe than sorry, right."  
  
"Right," the auburn haired girl said with a smile.  
  
"So tell me what exactly this protection is going to involve," Wenona said.  
  
  
  
Aniela sat on her own at the table in their town's only a therefore most popular club, the place was packed as usual on a Friday night and the music was thumping not entirely pleasantly. Wenona had turned up with three friends of hers that Aniela had never meet or heard of before. Right now Alex was dancing with one of them who he'd taken an instant shine to, her name Aniela thought her name was Cynthia. Wenona was dancing with Diablo much to Aniela's disgust; she couldn't understand how Wenona could stand to be so near to him, he made her skin crawl from meters away. The others, Des and Icarus and Cassian and Charlotte were dancing together.  
  
Aniela wrapped her arms around herself feeling conspicuous in her oneness. She felt terribly exposed, and isolated like nobody wanted to be near her. She knew it was silly but sometimes she was silly. She quickly mentally kicked herself; she was here to have fun not to wallow in whatever emotion it was she had been wallowing in.  
  
  
  
Diablo tried to give the witch his full attention but he found himself only half listening to her as she told him about her friends. His eye kept straying to the human girl who was sitting on her own looking about as comfortable as a werewolf sitting on a cactus. She had spent most of the day glaring at him and ignoring any attempt he made at conversation. It was interesting and not the effect he usual had on human girls, there had been the few shy ones he'd talked to who didn't say much or tried to speak and ended up getting totally tongue tied, it was fun to watch them become embarrassed.  
  
She was different though it was blatant hostility that kept her from speaking to him. He had thought about influencing her but that would be a little too suspicious and plus he didn't really care how she felt about him but things would probably just go a little easier if she liked him or if she didn't hate him quite so much.  
  
  
  
As the night wore itself slowly onward the thumping of the music became a pounding in Aniela's head. She could feel a vein at the back of her head jumping and the stale air and flashing lights of the club were not helping her in the least. She decided she needed to get out for a little while. She met Wenona on her way and told her where she was going.  
  
The night air was cool and fresh against her skin and though she could still hear the music in the background the stillness of the night was soothing. She closed her eyes and tilted her head so when she opened them all she saw was the dark night sky, the town's lights made it difficult to see any stars but she still saw beauty in the night sky and her fingers itched to paint it.  
  
As she stared upward everything around her seemed to fade till all she could see was the darkness and all she could hear was her heart beating against her chest. Then a step, a voice broke into her little cocoon of peace, a very unwanted voice.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked unable to mask the complete lack of concern in his voice.  
  
"What do you want?" she snapped.  
  
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay," he replied.  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
"There you go again with the potty mouth," he retorted.  
  
"Are you always this patronising?" Aniela asked. "Or is it a special annoyance reserved for me?"  
  
"Well nobody else has ever called me patronising so I'm going to have to say it's especially for you."  
  
"Don't I feel privileged," Aniela replied.  
  
"Of course you do," Diablo responded. So tell me are you always this much of a bitch? Or is it just me who gets the pleasure of experiencing your complete and utter bitchiness?"  
  
Aniela just turned away from him and returned her attention to the sky. Diablo watched her gritting his teeth, she was the most annoying vermin he'd ever met, maybe it was because usually he didn't care what vermin did, it didn't matter to him but her, she wasn't just getting on his nerves she was getting under his skin and he hated it.  
  
He looked at her again his eyes coming to rest on the curve of her neck. He felt his canines lengthen and smiled softly to himself. He was angry, she was defenceless and he was hungry, a combination like that could only have one outcome.  
  
She was so adsorbed in what she was looking at she didn't even notice his approach, a flick of his mind kept her from screaming but he didn't subdue her fully; he wanted her to know how much more than annoying he could be. She tried to fight him off but she was no match for his superior strength and speed. He grabbed her roughly and pushed her against the nearby wall. He watched in delight as her eyes dilated with fear when she saw his canines. He tilted her head upward to get a better angle then bit.  
  
For a moment everything seemed normal and then he felt it rushing at him with the speed and strength of a truck. "Oh no," he thought just as everything around him faded and he began to fall. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: I know this is late, I'm so sorry but coming up to the end of the semester things get a little hectic, I've assignments due and exams coming up so I didn't really get a chance to write this until now, I have a plan though that will hopefully work out of getting 3 parts written before my exams start so I won't be late again, hey it could happen.  
  
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best, seriously.  
  
LadyNyght: Thanks, I 'm glad you like the story, Diablo is fun, I'm really enjoying writing him and Aniela.  
  
Mandy: Hey, thanks so much for reviewing. I really liked writing the last part too, I like writing Icarus and Des, they feel like old friends to me sometimes, this part is more based on the new characters but 'Rus and Des will be back next part.  
  
Orange: I didn't mean it to be that much of a cliffhanger, just a little one but this reveals everything though and no cliffhanger. Just read this part and it should answer all your questions, though these two, Aniela and Diablo, aren't the most conventional.  
  
Redaura: I like your solution to the Des Gwern problem, and yes Des is a nicer character though she did take off for a month or so in the first story but a least I always knew where she was. As for who Wenona thought was in her kitchen, that will be revealed in later parts, though if you think about it you might be able to work it out. Thanks a lot for the review and I'm sorry this part's so late. (  
  
  
  
Part 8.  
  
Aniela's chest constricted in fear as Diablo came at her. She tried to fight him off but no matter what she tried, no matter what she did she couldn't get away from him. He was too fast, too strong. When she realised this the fight just drained out of her leaving nothing but anger at herself for being so weak. Her brain began to register and question more, like why the hell he was attacking her and that he had fangs. For a moment she thought she was hallucinating but no there they were protruding from his mouth, real honest to goodness vampire fangs.  
  
"This is not good," she thought as he pushed her roughly against the wall. Her shoulder blades banged painfully off the rough brick and her whole back ached; she was going to have bruises in the morning. That was if she was alive in the morning, for the first time the idea that he might actually kill her sprung into her mind and once there it set up shop and refused to leave.  
  
The thought filled her mind with fear yet somehow returned her will to fight. She twisted her wrists trying to break his grasp but his grip on her held fast. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was; he towered over her like some smothering shadow. She looked upward at him and was surprised to discover that the fangs didn't make him more animal, more feral, more ugly rather he looked almost beautiful like a panther or a tiger, beautiful and deadly. It was his eyes that caught her attention though, dark green eyes that held impenetrable depths that now glowed with some kind of dark light.  
  
He tilted her face upward using two fingers under her chin, his eyes never straying from the pulse in her neck. The strangest thing was that instead of revulsion at his touch Aniela felt little sparks run along her skin from his fingertips.  
  
"He's going to bite me now," she thought, "he's going to bite me and drink my blood and there's nothing I can do to stop him. He's going to hurt me maybe even kill me and it's partially my fault, if I hadn't come out here alone, if I knew how to fight, if I knew things like him existed then maybe this wouldn't be happening."  
  
She felt his breath on her skin and wanted to scream, wondering why she hadn't been screaming her head off for the past few minutes. Then she felt it, those teeth sliding into her skin, drawing her blood. It didn't hurt as much as she'd thought it would. For a moment all she could feel were his lips moving on her neck, then something began tugging at her mind trying to take her somewhere she didn't want to go. She felt like her consciousness was being pulled by some outside force, a powerful outside force and though she tried to fight it, it was stronger than her. Her head swam and she heard Diablo's voice.  
  
"I don't want this."  
  
"Then why are you doing it?" she thought.  
  
"I am not doing it," he snapped revealing that he could hear her thoughts.  
  
After a moment she realised that he was still drinking her blood, that he couldn't be speaking but she had heard him. What was going on?  
  
"I don't know," he replied.  
  
Aniela could sense that his mind was in turmoil but she could also tell that he was lying. A thousand thoughts seemed to be running through his head and Aniela could hear them all, most of it was a blur flying past her too fast to catch any of it but one word at the tail end of a sentence stuck out, soulmates.  
  
"What do you mean by soulmates?" she asked.  
  
"I wish you'd stop doing that," he said angrily.  
  
"I'm not doing anything," she replied, "you're the one doing it."  
  
"I told you already, I'm not doing this," he said annoyance evident in his voice.  
  
"And what I'm supposed to believe that, you're a, what are you?" she asked.  
  
"What you think," he replied. "I'm a vampire, I'm feeding off you and I'm evil and there is no possible way we could be soulmates, that's what you're thinking right."  
  
"Well the first part any way," she told him, "but I still don't know what you mean by soulmates, why don't you tell me? What are you afraid of?"  
  
"I'm not afraid of anything," he spat back at her, "and there is no way we're soulmates, there is no way I'm bound to some stupid vermin."  
  
"And what I should be trilled that I'm bound to you?" she demanded, "Should I?"  
  
"No," Diablo replied a hint of a smile present in his voice, "trilled isn't the word I'd use, terrified maybe, and anyway we're not soulmates."  
  
"I'm not afraid of you," Aniela said softly.  
  
"Really," Diablo said the ridicule in his voice really pissing Aniela off, "you're sure singing a different tune to the one you were on earlier, what was it, he's going to kill me and it's all my fault. Seems like you were pretty afraid of me then. God, I can't talk to you, vermin are just so stupid."  
  
"Who the hell are you calling vermin? You're the one feeding off of me if I'm vermin what does that make you? A parasite?"  
  
"Look I'm not exactly enjoying this chit chat," Diablo said.  
  
"Really I'm having a barrel of laughs," Aniela replied sarcastically.  
  
"If you'd shut up and let me finish," Diablo continued, "I was going to suggest we should find a way to end this."  
  
"Not until you tell me what soulmates are?" Aniela snapped.  
  
"Fine you want to know what soulmates are," Diablo yelled angrily, "then I'll tell you. Soulmates is an idea that there is only one person in the world you're supposed to be with, your other half; some people say their the other half of your soul and that when you meet them you recognise them immediately and you know, you know you'll never be happy without them."  
  
"Well that's okay then," Aniela said softly, "we're not soulmates. Cos I don't feel anything like that for you."  
  
"And the thought of feeling anything like that for a human makes me feel nauseous," Diablo added, "and anyway I don't believe in soulmates."  
  
"Why not?" Aniela asked.  
  
"None of your business vermin," Diablo told her.  
  
Aniela wasn't exactly surprised at Diablo's reaction what surprised her was the fact she cared, that she wanted to know why he didn't believe in soulmates. She didn't care about him, she didn't even like him yet something made her want to know, something made her want to know everything about him and as she realised this she realised the exact same force was trying to show him to her. The force, which they'd both been fighting without really realising it, began to overwhelm her.  
  
Images of Diablo's life played themselves out before her eyes trying to give her some understanding of who and what he was. She saw him being taught that his species was better than any other, that they were faster, stronger, just better, above everyone else, that those below them were worthless, just a food source or bugs to be crushed under foot. She saw that he'd had a terrible childhood really, that his parents had been cold and cruel and taught him to be the same. She saw him kill, saw him hurt others and claim enjoyment from it.  
  
She wanted to hate him, wanted to detest him with ever fibre in her being but instead she felt an understanding of what he did, she felt herself rationalising all he had done when all she wanted to do was to get angry and hit him. She could see he had a vague code of honour and that he truly believed what he was doing was for the good of his people.  
  
A snort of derision brought her out of her reflection. "Come on kid, I know you're not that stupid," he said. "I mean you might be vermin and all but you have a brain, you can stop trying to rationalise it and realise that I do what I do because I like to, because it's my nature, it's who I am, not out of some bizarre sense of honour."  
  
"Look I'm just telling it how I'm seeing it okay, or how you're showing it to me, so don't blame me, it's your life, your feelings."  
  
"No it's not," Diablo replied, "it's you reading what you want to in to my actions."  
  
"That's not true," she snapped, "you really think I'd do that? I hate you, I want to hate you, I don't want to feel like this."  
  
"Like what?" he asked softly uncharacteristic compassion audible in his voice.  
  
"Like I want to understand you, like I want to make excuses for why you did those things, like I want, I want to know you, I want, I don't know what."  
  
"I know," Diablo said, "whatever is going on it's showing me images of you, of your life and it's trying to make me like you. And we can't have that, I can't like you."  
  
"Well what are we going to do about it? If we're soulmates there's not exactly a lot we can do to change that right?"  
  
"I'm not talking about changing it," he replied, "I'm talking about forgetting about it."  
  
"How do you expect to do that?" Aniela asked, "It did happen we can't change that, I don't think I can just forget it, can you?"  
  
  
  
"I wasn't talking about me," he said softly and with those words he began to slowly wrap his mind around her memories of the last few minutes erasing them just as he would have if done of this stupid soulmate stuff had happened. It was much harder that he expected, the link between them tried to keep him from taking her knowledge of their connection and in the end he had to practically rip the knowledge from her head.  
  
It took a lot out of him much more than it should have especially since he'd just fed, this soulmate thing was strong, very strong. Why did things like this always happen to him? He grinned as the word karma popped into his head, what was it that the witches believed, what you send forth comes back to thee, maybe this was the universe's payback, his punishment for the life he'd chosen to live. For a moment he felt pity for the vermin girl, it didn't look like she'd ever done anything to deserve to have him for a soulmate.  
  
Well it didn't matter any way it was over with, she'd forgotten about it and he didn't care about it so they'd never have to worry about it again. He should kill her to make sure though but he didn't know enough about the stupid link to know what killing her would do to him.  
  
"Yes," he told himself, "that's why you don't want to hurt her self interest."  
  
It was a good a reason as any he decided and of course the most likely, it had nothing to do with that moment of brightness she had brought him or the fire that he'd felt burn between them, nothing at all. 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: Yay, I managed to get a part done this week, though I know it's a little late. My exams start this week so I'm not sure how many parts I'll be able to get done in the next two weeks but after that I should have loads of time to work on this story and a couple more that I've been thinking of.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time, you guys are the best.  
  
Redaura: Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you liked the chapter. No it's not Gwern she thought was in the kitchen buts it's someone who was already in the story. Sorry this updates a little late.  
  
Mandy: Thank you so much, that's such a compliment. I'm not 100% sure about Diablo yet either but I do like writing him whether I like him or not I haven't quite decided.  
  
Orange: Thanks so much, I'm glad you liked it. Hope you like this chapter as much.  
  
  
  
Part 9.  
  
Aniela lay in bed not listening to the song that was pounding out of her stereo. She couldn't understand what had happened to her the night before, she could remember everything up until she went outside and after that things got blurry; actually after that things disappeared. She didn't remember anything from when she left until she went back inside feeling light headed and disorientated. Later on she discovered a deep black bruise on her back and she had no idea how she could have managed to do it.  
  
She felt this vague yet consuming urge to paint, not just an urge but a need to put all the conflicting and partial emotions she couldn't put into words onto a canvas. She couldn't understand it she'd gone out feeling fine and now she felt off, like she was missing something, something more than the few minutes she couldn't remember. She'd felt like that before, a tingling sensation that ran over her skin and outward making her feel connected to something other, something outside herself though this time it felt even stronger.  
  
She slid out of bed and pulled on her favourite comfortable jeans and her painting shirt that had once been pure white but now had spots of different colours. She picked up her brushes, canvas and paints and deposited them on the patio. Her Dad had already gone to work and her Mom was gone shopping so she had the whole house to herself. She was glad because she preferred to be alone when she painted, there wasn't any real reason why, things just seemed to flow easier when she was by herself.  
  
She squeezed out the different colours onto some greaseproof paper and smiled. There was just something about colours, even when she was younger colours had entranced her. She could remember spending hours lying back gazing at the sky mesmerised by all the different shades of blue she could see. She'd been a strange child and had grown up just as strange. She grinned at that thought and stuck her brush into a dark green paint.  
  
  
  
Icarus stood outside the door of the Blessingways' guestroom; Des was asleep inside and he was supposed to wake her. If there was one thing he had learnt about Des in the few months they'd worked together it was that morning wasn't her best time. He peered around the door and grinned at her sleeping form. She looked pretty when she was asleep, sort of serene. She turned suddenly and mumbled something, something that if he were human he wouldn't have heard but with his enhanced hearing he heard her perfectly. She looked so sad when she said it he felt sad too and confused. He knew how Gwern loved Des and he couldn't understand why he'd leave her. He'd known Gwern for so long and he was his best friend and he knew he could do some stupid things but this wasn't like him. Icarus remembered how he'd been when Des left; he'd been a mess basically so Icarus couldn't understand why he would purposely stay away from her.  
  
He approached the bed tentatively and shook her lightly.  
  
"Des time to get up," he said gently but when she turned her back to him he realised the soft approach wasn't going to work. He shook her roughly and yelled, "Des time to get up."  
  
"I heard you the first time," she muttered.  
  
"Come one Des, Cynthia's been awake half the night and she doesn't want to leave me on my own so she won't go to bed until you get up."  
  
"Okay, okay," Des replied, "you had to pull the guilt trip on me didn't you."  
  
She swung her legs out of bed and dragged the rest of herself up slowly.  
  
"Go on get out," she told Icarus with a slight grin, "and let me get dressed."  
  
"Ahhh, come on Des can't I stay and watch the show," Icarus said with a teasing grin and wiggling eyebrows.  
  
Des giggled then grabbed the pillow beside her and flung it at him, "Go on get out you pervert, get."  
  
"Yes Ma'am," Icarus replied with a laugh and threw the pillow back at her.  
  
Des laughed as Icarus retreated out of the room and began to root through her still packed bag looking for something to wear. She pulled on a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a black top before braiding her auburn hair into a thick, long plait. Cynthia wandered into the room as she was finishing up and flung herself on to the bed yawning widely.  
  
Des smiled apologetically at her, "sorry about that, morning isn't exactly my best time."  
  
"Yeah I figured as much," Cynthia said with a grin.  
  
"So how was the night watch? Quiet?" Des asked.  
  
"Very," Cynthia replied, "actually boring, which is good, nothing better than a boring job."  
  
"That's true," Des said with a grin, "I'll call you later. Get some sleep."  
  
"Sure thing," Cynthia replied and yawned again.  
  
When Des got downstairs she found 'Rus and Wenona eating breakfast together chatting easily. Wenona's long black hair was twisted into a knot at her neck and she wore a pair of faded jeans and a green top complimenting her nutmeg coloured skin perfectly. Even in those ordinary clothes she looked so poised and elegant she made Des feel frumpy. She had this incredible composure that reminded Des of Aradia, the Maiden of all Witches.  
  
"Hey Des," she said smiling brightly at her and dispelling any discomfort Des had been feeling.  
  
"Hey Wenona, how're you this morning? I hope 'Rus isn't boring you too much."  
  
"I'm fine," Wenona replied grinning, "and of course 'Rus isn't boring me, he's telling me some very interesting stories about you guys."  
  
"Oh Goddess," Des said, "just remember you can only believe about half of what he says. He tends to embellish his exploits to impress girls."  
  
"That's not true," Icarus responded, "I don't need to tell girls my exploits to impress them, my charm, wittiness and stunning good looks do that on their own."  
  
Des rolled her eyes and Wenona laughed. "See what I have to deal with, " Des said to Wenona.  
  
"It must be terrible, " Wenona replied grinning.  
  
"Oh it is," Des told her and laughed as Icarus glared at her.  
  
  
  
Outside the morning sun threw shadows across the lawns of the quiet neighbourhood. A figure stood under a tree, shadows dancing across his face and obscuring his features. With a smooth, slight movement of his wrist he flicked the ash from the tip of his cigarette and drew it to his lips. He narrowed his eyes observing the tall, blond young man who was sitting in an unremarkable, black car. His attention was trained on a house across the road from him and he didn't seem to notice anything around him, which was to his observer's advantage.  
  
The figure watched as another blonde, this one female, joined him. She slid into the passenger seat and spoke with him for a moment. The exchange was short and apparently not sweet as the boy slammed the door angrily as he left the car. The watcher grinned, it was always good to see that the competition was in conflict. He turned his attention to the house where his real target lay.  
  
  
  
Diablo marched down the street angrily. Charlotte had to be the most annoying person he'd ever meet. He sighed of course she wasn't really the problem and he knew it. His problem had long dark hair and dark brown eyes and just happened to be his soulmate, which had to be the biggest practical joke Fate had played in a long, long while. He clenched his teeth angrily why did it have to be a stupid, dumpy vermin. Okay well maybe she wasn't stupid exactly but she was vermin and that was enough, enough to get them both killed.  
  
"Don't be stupid," he thought, "the only way this is going to get us both killed is if I'm in love with her and that's never going to happen, not in this lifetime or the next."  
  
  
  
Aniela stared critically at the picture she'd just finished. She pursed her lips for a moment considering and then smiled, she liked it. The canvas was covered mostly in different shades of green and full of intricate brushstrokes that revealed a thick, tangled forest full of shadows and dark hidden places that looked as if sunlight had never touched them. She didn't know where the image had come from just like she didn't know what her sudden inclination for green was but that's what had come to her as she'd tried to put her feelings on the canvas.  
  
She stretched soundlessly and smiled again, she felt better now, much better. There was nothing like painting to raise her spirits. "Now art thou sociable," she thought with a grin and began to collect her brushes to clean them. When she was done she'd ring Wenona and see what she was up to.  
  
  
  
Diablo hissed angrily as he watched the girl potter around the patio. Her long, thick hair was constricted in a ponytail and she was wearing a white shirt that hung to her knees. He found himself studying her every movement and that angered him even more. He didn't even know how the hell he'd ended up there he had been on his way back to the house they were renting. This was going to be a bigger problem than he'd thought, maybe it would be best if he eliminated that problem but that would alert Wenona and as the newest arrivals they'd be the prime suspects. He'd just have to deal with it some other way, like keeping away from her. Yeah, that was a plan, he'd just keep away from her from now on. 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who commented, you guys make exams bearable and that's saying something.  
  
Orange: Thanks so much. I wish I could see Ani's painting too, I have an image of it in my head and if I was any good at art I'd try it but unfortunately my brother got the artistic gene in my family.  
  
Redaura: Gwern isn't being held by the Night World, that much I know so no need to worry, he's just being an obtuse, annoying ass at the moment, that's all. I hope this was a quick enough update for you, exams awaken a need to procratinate in me and this is a nice way to do that.  
  
Diomede: Wow, thanks so much for the encouragement and praise, I'm glad you like what you've read so far, I hope you like the rest of it as much.  
  
  
  
Part 10.  
  
Aniela slid out of her car and tucked a few loose strands of her dark hair behind her ears. She sighed dismally and tucked the back of her white blouse into her black skirt. She usually didn't mind working in the restaurant so much but on days like this when the spring sun was sneaking out from behind fluffy, white clouds and warming her skin waitressing was the last thing she wanted to do.  
  
Her father greeted her with a smile when she entered the kitchen. He was obviously enjoying getting to do the cooking for the first time in a month or so. Ray, the dessert chef waved a knife at her grinning widely and Tony looked up from the dishes long enough to give her a wink, the edges of his lips curving wickedly. Aniela smiled broadly back; the restaurant staff were like part of her extended family.  
  
Karen, one of the other waitresses, smiled with relief when she saw Aniela. "Thank God you're here Ani, I can go home finally."  
  
"One of those days?" Aniela asked.  
  
"It felt like two of those days," Karen told her. "Well good luck," she added with a smirk before heading out through the kitchen door.  
  
"Great, just great," Aniela thought, "this is just what I need." She groaned lightly then plastering a saccharine smile on her face she prepared to meet the customers.  
  
  
  
  
  
Diablo was incredibly surprised when he got the phone call from Wenona asking if he and the others wanted to go out to eat with her and her friends.  
  
"I know you guys don't actually eat," she had said, "but it would be a good chance to get to know you better and give you a chance to see some more of the town."  
  
He had agreed immediately and as soon as she'd hung up called Charlotte on the cell phone telling her to get her ass back to the house. She hadn't been exactly trilled by that request or the way he'd phrased it but then he wasn't exactly too worried about how she felt about it. This was the first real indication that they were getting somewhere with this 'lets be friends, look we're soulmates that means were good' plan.  
  
Charlotte, however, was not letting it lie. The whole way to the restaurant she was pouting and sulky and so mouthy. He just ignored her, which seemed to have been the best course of action as she got even more pissed off. He grinned; it was good to see he wasn't losing his touch even if. He paused, even if what? Even if he was going soft for a human maybe? No, hell no, that was not what was happening. That was never ever going to happen.  
  
Diablo sighed with relief when they got to the restaurant and he discovered Aniela was not there, it was just Wenona, Alex and the three others they'd met the night before who's names escaped him.  
  
"Hey, glad you guys made it," Alex said, "I'm starving."  
  
"I could do with some grub too," the tall girl said.  
  
Diablo paused for a moment noticing for the first time her English accent. Now where did Wenona meet a girl from England? Now that was an interesting question, one that he'd definitely have to look in to when they got back to the house.  
  
"So what are you going to have?" Wenona asked Alex.  
  
"Oh I don't know, there's so much to choose from, I could have lasagne or spaghetti bolognese or some of those stuffed shells things, how can I choose."  
  
Wenona grinned, "Yeah, yeah Alex, you know you're just going to have lasagne as always."  
  
"What can I say, it's hard to beat a good thing," Alex replied with a smile.  
  
"So the lasagne's good?" Des said with a grin.  
  
"Very," Alex told her, "but then everything here is good."  
  
  
  
Diablo followed the group into the large, brightly lit, airy room. The seating arrangement seemed to be pretty informal as Alex and Wenona borrowed chairs from other tables to bring over to their tightly packed table. A couple of waitresses wandered from table to table in white shirts and black skirts. He heard their waitress approach from behind him.  
  
"So what can I get you guys?" a familiar voice asked.  
  
"Oh no," he thought, "anyone but her." He turned slightly in his chair and saw out of the corner of his eye that it was indeed the last person he wanted to see.  
  
"Hey Ani," Wenona said, "I got a craving for Italian so I thought I'd bring the guys along to see you at work."  
  
"Gee thanks," Aniela replied her voice laden with sarcasm.  
  
"So what's good here?" Cassian asked glancing up from his menu.  
  
"Everything is good here," Aniela replied evidently annoyed.  
  
Diablo stared blankly at his menu, this was the first time they'd met since the night before, since they'd discovered the stupid soulmate connection. He glanced sideways at her surreptitiously from behind his menu. She didn't seem to be acting any different towards him, actually she wasn't even looking at him, good that meant it had worked; she didn't remember anything that had happened the night before.  
  
"This is the best Italian restaurant for a thirty mile radius," Aniela told them with pride evident in her voice.  
  
"Of course it is the only Italian restaurant for a thirty mile radius," Alex added earning himself a smack in the head from a notebook.  
  
Diablo was surprised at Aniela's pride in the restaurant, she was just a waitress there and it was just a job. Somehow she hadn't struck him as the kind of person who'd be happy or proud to be a waitress in a small restaurant in a small town, she was too intelligent for that and too talented; he had seen her artwork.  
  
  
  
As Aniela was taking their orders a medium sized man appeared out of the kitchen.  
  
"Wenona," he said crossing the space between the kitchen doors to the table in a few strides. "It's good to see you again," he continued kissing her on the cheek. "And Alex how are you? Is Ani taking good care of you?"  
  
"Yes sir," Alex replied with a small smile.  
  
"Why don't you introduce me to the rest of your friends Nona? I don't know how you do it but you always seem to bring the best looking people to the restaurant, where do you find them?"  
  
"Papa," Aniela admonished but couldn't help smiling as he gave her his best innocent face.  
  
Wenona grinned and winked at Aniela, who was now turning a deep shade of red, before beginning to introduce everyone.  
  
  
  
Aniela watched as her father's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline when he heard Diablo's name. It was pretty much the reaction she'd expected and very similar to her own reaction so she knew exactly how her father was feeling. Maybe it was just because she was Catholic but she found it hard to understand how anyone could name their child after the devil.  
  
"Well I hope Ani's been taking good care of you all," her dad said smiling broadly around the table. "I'd better get back to work before they burn down the kitchen without me. Ani if you want to once you've taken their orders you can take your break."  
  
"Thanks Papa," Aniela replied.  
  
  
  
Aniela disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes and when she returned Wenona scooted over to make room for her. Unfortunately for Diablo that put her sitting right beside him. The next twenty minutes were the longest of his life and the worse torture he had ever experienced. She was much to close to him, he could smell her, hear her breathe, there were even moments when he thought he could hear her heartbeat. He could see the way her eyes lighted up when she laughed, the soft upturn of her lips when she smiled. He watched her tuck a few wayward strands that had escaped from her braid and felt a horrible desire to run his hands through her hair. He felt a desire to sit on his hands just in case they disobeyed his brain and did something stupid.  
  
When she finally had to get back to work relief flooded through him and all his muscles seemed to relax at once though he hadn't even realised they were tensed. At last the hard part was over, he'd met her and he hadn't done anything idiotic. Or so he thought.  
  
When they got to the car park Cassian and Charlotte were making lovey dovey eyes at each other and he knew exactly the kind of annoying, sickening talk he'd have to put up with if he rode with them. He told them he'd walk home, that he'd enjoy the fresh air and that maybe he' d actually feed on something that would satisfy their kind of hunger. They seemed to accept that excuse at face value but instead of moving off after they left Diablo found himself burying his hands in his coat pockets and walking around in a circle that brought him back past the restaurant ever 10 minutes or so.  
  
He had no idea how long he'd been out there when finally Aniela appeared from the back door. "What are you doing you idiot?" he thought as he approached her.  
  
  
  
Aniela tossed her car keys lightly in her hands. Work hadn't been too bad, some of it had actually been fun, of course it hadn't been the busiest day after she'd arrived so the kitchen staff hadn't been under too much pressure, which made them much nicer to deal with. She looked up as she approached the car and was startled to see Diablo leaning against her passenger door.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.  
  
"Waiting for you," he replied.  
  
"I realise that," she told him, "why?"  
  
"Because," he replied stepping closer to her.  
  
"Because?" she said looking up into dark green eyes.  
  
"You're like a drug you know," he blurted out loosing her totally in his train of thought, "a very addictive drug."  
  
"What are you talking about?" she replied.  
  
"That's right," he said softly, "you don't remember."  
  
  
  
Aniela glared at him, he was talking in riddles and much, much too close to her. He bent his head and his mouth met hers in a sweet, desperate kiss. The soulmate link burst open between them and the memories he had erased from her mind wrote themselves back in. He had kissed her before and drank her blood. She wanted to get angry, to push him away but instead, compelled by whatever outside force had created this link between them, she kissed him back. 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Rating: 15.  
  
Author: Aife Bisclaveret {or Bernadette in the real world}  
  
E-mail: treeloie@yahoo.com or aife_bisclaveret@hotmail.com msn messenger and yahoo messenger same as e-mail.  
  
Title: The Fire That Binds.  
  
Author's Notes: I know, I know this is incredibly late but I have been really busy the past few weeks, I had exams until this week and then I started a new job this week. Also this part was sort of hard to write, I edited a lot of it and decided to leave the end of it until the next part because it wouldn't really fit so this part isn't that long. I definitely should have more time to write this week though so the next part will hopefully be out in at most a week.  
  
  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last part,  
  
Orange: Wow two reviews, thanks so much. Yes Diablo does have it fairly bad but it remains to be seen what exactly he intends to do about it, he's so annoying like that I had a fairly set plan when I began this story but the characters are leading it in different directions than I intended.  
  
Mandy: Thanks so much for the review, I have a few ideas about where this is going but I think the next couple of chapters should at least start to get things moving towards a resolution.  
  
Redaura: Thanks, I also love hearing what you have to say about the story. I hope you didn't end up on the floor considering how long it took me to write this part, I promise the next part will be much quicker. Procrastinate means, well in my head it means to put things off, basically to do anything else you can besides what you have to do.  
  
  
  
Part 11.  
  
A kiss, such a simple thing or so it should be, it shouldn't cause the mishmash of emotions that was currently running through her, hate, distrust and anger mixed with need, want and maybe something more, something she didn't want. His hands moving gently over her hips, encircling her waist, drawing her closer, his mouth soft and warm becoming more demanding, her arms resting on his shoulders, her hands curling into the softness of his hair, simple motions that felt so right but that she knew were wrong.  
  
The kiss became deeper, stronger and tinged with something like desperation because they both knew this really shouldn't be happening, both torn between not wanting this at all and needing it sort of desperately. A thousand and one thoughts were running through her mind and only a little over half of them were hers. His thoughts skewed through her mind telling her so much about him, more than she really wanted to know.  
  
  
  
She could feel the connection between them burning bright and strong and painful and oh it was painful. It let her into his mind and she saw all the darkness in him and saw his secret, hidden places, the problem was the places he tried to hide, the things he suppressed were the only real good she saw in him. She saw what he was and all the things he had done, all the pain he had caused and the worst thing was a part of her didn't care. For this part of herself all that mattered was what was between them, what she felt for him.  
  
"And what is that?" she thought, "What is between us?"  
  
She already knew the answer to that, he had told her the night before, soulmates, they were soulmates but that couldn't be right, how could she be soulmates with him. There had to be something wrong there, how could you love someone you were afraid of, and she was afraid of him, she knew what he was capable of. Maybe fate had made a mistake and she'd been assigned the wrong soulmate because how could two people supposedly born to be together be so completely wrong for each other?  
  
"We're not completely wrong for each other," his voice said softly in her mind.  
  
"Oh no," she replied cynically finding it strange to be carrying out a conversation in his mind.  
  
"No," he replied out loud breaking the kiss and the connection. "In some ways," he said softly, "we're perfect for each other."  
  
As he spoke he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear his thumb stroking her cheek softly as he did so. It had been the barest touch, the softest caress but it still sent tingles down her spine.  
  
"I don't think so," she told him, "we're nothing alike, we've nothing in common."  
  
"Is that really what you think or is it just what you think you should think? How you think you should feel? Besides opposites attract you know."  
  
He was laughing at her now and she knew it and more than anything she wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. "Not in this case," she said angrily.  
  
"Really then what was that a minute ago? You're going to tell me that wasn't attraction?"  
  
"That was a mistake," she replied evenly, breathing slowly in through her nose and out through her mouth trying to keep herself calm. She wasn't exactly known for her level-headedness but she knew losing her temper with a vampire was not a good idea. "You're a vampire and I'm a human," she said as though that was the end of the matter.  
  
"And what? All laws of God and Man are against us?" the derision lay heavy in his voice.  
  
"Well your laws are against us aren't they," she replied.  
  
"Well it's an easy enough thing to get around," he said.  
  
Aniela looked into his eyes and knew he was being serious. "Oh no," she said gravely, "there's no way you're turning me into a."  
  
"A what?" he snapped, "a monster, that's all I am to you right"  
  
"Well that's what you are isn't it," she snapped back, "You're called after the devil for God's sake."  
  
His green eyes blazed silver, "Oh I was wondering when this would come up, that's just a little too much for the good Catholic girl right, can't stand anything that's different from what you believe in right?"  
  
Aniela's tempered flared. "How dare you?" she spat, "How dare you say that, you're the one with all the prejudices, not me. You're the one who believes all humans are vermin right? That is what you believe, isn't it? And not just humans anyone who isn't your race just isn't good enough."  
  
All Aniela could feel at that moment was anger, white-hot anger that flowed through her building and building, looking for an outlet. It felt good, singular, much better than the confusion she had been feeling. She wasn't thinking but that was okay because she didn't want to think, instead she reacted and that involved her fist flying in the direction of his nose.  
  
It didn't connect, she had known it wouldn't, he was too fast but she had taken him by surprise and her fist was mere inches from his face when he caught it.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snapped. "I'm a vampire or have you forgotten? Why would you do something so stupid as try to hit me?"  
  
"Because you deserved it," she said angrily.  
  
And out of nowhere the side of his lip twitched, "I did, didn't I. I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that, I was just angry."  
  
"Me too," Aniela replied.  
  
"No," he said, "you meant everything you said, most of it's true."  
  
She sighed mostly out of frustration, "What are we going to do?"  
  
"I don't know," he replied honestly, "this isn't how imagined things would be here."  
  
"I gathered that," Aniela said with a smile, "How did you think things would be?"  
  
An image popped into his mind as an answer to her question but he shoved it back quickly before she got a chance to see it. "Not like this," he replied looking down only noticing then that he still held her hand in his.  
  
He drew her wrist to his mouth and Aniela realised he was planning to wipe her mind again.  
  
"Don't," she snapped wrenching her hand out of his grip.  
  
"It will be easier this way," he said softly, "Don't you think it will be better if you don't have to remember all this?"  
  
"Maybe," she replied, "but if I do remember I'll know to keep out of your way. You're less likely to give into temptation if there's nothing there to tempt you."  
  
"That's true but there will be nothing to stop another vampire from reading your mind and finding out what's happened and deciding to kill you."  
  
"Why would another vampire want to read my mind? It will be easier this way."  
  
"You're right I suppose."  
  
"I am," she replied.  
  
"Then I guess I'll see you around," he said.  
  
"Not if I see you first," she replied with utter conviction.  
  
He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against her car in a relaxed stance. A boyish grin spread across his face making him look young and innocent but Aniela knew he was none of those things, she had seen into his soul and knew what dark, turbulent depths lay beneath his calm, bright surface. She opened the car door sliding past him into the driver's seat.  
  
"Goodbye," she said softly looking up at him surprised to feel her throat constrict a little and her vision water.  
  
"Bye," he replied reaching out to touch her face before turning and walking away.  
  
She didn't start the car after he left she just sat there staring into space caught between anger and sadness. Angry with herself for feeling like this, sad because she knew she could never let this happen again, she could never feel his lips on hers again or the fire that ran through her veins when they touched. 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: See almost on time this time. Thank you so, so much to everyone who reviewed the last part, you guys are the best and I'm not just saying that, you guys truly make writing this story a pleasure.  
  
Mandy: Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad you think they have good chemistry, that was the first time I really got a chance to write the two of them in that sort of situation so I'[m glad it was okay. The ending of the chapter, well I don't know it was just what I had to write, but it is just the end of the chapter not necessarily the end of the story, though I'm still not a 100% sure how I'm going to end it.  
  
Orange: Thank you so much. I don't know if Icarus well ever find his soulmate, not in this story anyway unfortunately, he seems to deserve to find his so much more than Gwern and Diablo. Well here's chapter 12, I think the next chapter will be up even sooner as I'm finished college and I've got a lovely job where I sit and do nothing for most of the day so I'm getting a chance to write then.  
  
Redaura: Awww, thank you so much. I don't know how Aniela and Wenona are going to work out that they both know about the Night World but I'm sure they will, they're pretty smart. As for the happy ending, I really don't know, it might be happy for some and not for others but I really have no idea yet.  
  
Tjones: Thank you, actually you deserve two thank yous for reviewing both Bound by Flame and The Fire That Binds so Thank you, Thank you, I'm so glad you like them. Des's soulmate, well I'm going to let you be the first to know that he's definitely going to be in this fic I just haven't worked out when, where or how just yet.  
  
Serena: I hate Diablo's attitude too, he can be such a pain to write but hopefully Ani might change him a little.  
  
  
  
Part 12.  
  
Des stuck her spoon into the tub of chocolate ice cream. She was sitting at the kitchen counter with Wenona and Cynthia. Icarus was sitting watching television a few feet away from them with a bowl resting on his lap. He'd said that once the ice cream came out the knives were sure to follow and he didn't want to be too close when they started to attack his gender.  
  
"So," Cynthia said licking her spoon.  
  
"So," Wenona replied.  
  
Des glanced between the two girls and giggled softly.  
  
"So," she grinned, "Do we have anything to talk about?"  
  
"Maybe we should take Icarus's advice and have a little male bashing session," Wenona suggested.  
  
"I don't know," Des replied, "you might get a little more than you're expecting."  
  
"I doubt that," Wenona replied, "if it's usually so bad that Icarus stays a safe distance away then consider me adequately forewarned."  
  
"Okay," Des said, "let's start with you. Who's the guy that arranged for us to protect you?"  
  
"A very overprotective boyfriend," Wenona replied.  
  
"Overprotective, let me guess he describes it as concerned," Cynthia said.  
  
"Exactly," Wenona replied smiling, "but what can you do, guys tend to get like that."  
  
"Yeah sure," Des said, "but most overprotective boyfriends don't get Lord Thierry to send a team out to protect their girlfriends."  
  
"That's true," Cynthia agreed then turned to Wenona, "so come on dish the dirt."  
  
"Hey, why's everyone picking on me?" Wenona asked.  
  
"We're just curious," Cynthia told her, "but if you tell us I'm sure Des will give you the low down on her love life."  
  
"Well what about yours?" Des asked her.  
  
"My what?" Cynthia asked. "Oh my love life, I don't have one, well none to speak of, definitely none as interesting as yours."  
  
"Really," Wenona said, "now you've got my attention. What's so interesting about it?"  
  
"Nothing really, it's not so much interesting as depressing," Des replied.  
  
"Well we do have chocolate ice-cream for that," Wenona told her.  
  
"Come one," Icarus said without taking his eyes from the television, "I think we've had enough of when Gwern met Des for a while yet."  
  
"Who's Gwern?" Wenona asked. "This is so unfair, how can we have too much when I don't know anything about it?"  
  
Des smiled at the pouting witch. She hadn't known Wenona for long but she liked her, she liked her a lot and it was a little unfair to talk about her and Gwern and then not tell Wenona anything about it. She didn't really mind talking about it, it was getting easier every time, maybe sometime soon she'd be able to talk about it and not feel the emptiness around her, the absence that was still noticeable.  
  
"Gwern's my soulmate," Des told Wenona.  
  
  
  
  
  
Diablo sat in the car outside Wenona's house wondering how on earth Cassian and Charlotte had failed to notice how unhinged he was. It seemed so obvious to him, he was crazy, he had to be; it was the only explanation. He had truly and utterly lost his mind. He had let her remember everything, how stupid was he? How long would it be until she worked out that Wenona was a witch and how long until she worked out exactly why he'd come to town.  
  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, Diablo," he thought. "You're going to have to fix this but how is the question." This was so unfair, what the hell had he done to deserve this? Well that was a fairly stupid question, he'd done quite a lot to deserve this and this was fate or karma coming to bite him in the ass. It seemed unfair that Ani got stuck with him. She was so, good, she deserved someone so much better, maybe he could be someone better.  
  
He laughed bitterly. He couldn't change; he knew that, he didn't want to change. What he did, who he was, it was in his blood. He was part of the Night World and that world had shaped him, formed his nature and most importantly he liked that world. Up until two days ago he had loved his life and his job, probably a little too much considering what his job was. And now, and now his world was all askew, hell he wasn't even sure which was left and which was right anymore. Why couldn't have things remained the way they were, simple, easy and uncomplicated, when humans were simply vermin, Daybreakers were idiots and he was perfectly happy killing both. Now he had to admit humans weren't vermin considering he'd knock the head off anyone who suggested Aniela was vermin and he was beginning to feel remorse. Guilt over all the things he had done before. It was sad really, he'd gone from formidable Dark Ninja to blubbering pile of sap all over some human girl, okay she was his soulmate but that really wasn't much of an excuse. It was all that stupid girl's fault, stupid girl who didn't even want him.  
  
  
  
"Oh wow," Wenona said softly wiping the tears from her eyes. "That's the saddest story I've ever heard. You guys are soulmates you have to be together."  
  
Des smiled sadly, "Not necessarily, just because we're soulmates it doesn't mean we have to be together, it doesn't mean we can be together."  
  
"Well it should, I mean how can you stand to be apart form him? Doesn't it tear you up inside to feel that emptiness? Doesn't it kill you not to be able to see him, to hear his voice or just to sense his presence?"  
  
"You sound like someone who knows what they're talking about," Des said softly.  
  
Wenona's eyes widened slightly. Des couldn't tell if it was fear or something else but she decided to let it go, obviously Wenona wasn't ready to tell them about it, whatever it was.  
  
Icarus yawned and stretched his legs out in front of him. "I'm so beat," he said, his bleary eyes proving his point. "I'm so glad you're the one stuck with the night shift tonight Des, ha ha."  
  
"I won't mind doing the night shift," Cynthia said, "It's not like."  
  
"Don't say it, don't say it," Icarus and Des shouted in unison.  
  
"Anything's going to happen," Cynthia finished faintly bemused by the looks of consternation that appeared on her partners faces.  
  
Des groaned, "Well that's it you've totally jinxed me."  
  
"What?" Cynthia asked.  
  
"You just said nothing's going to happen," Icarus told her, "that means that something is now definitely going to happen."  
  
Cynthia laughed, "You guys watch way too many movies, it's not like I mentioned the Scottish play in a theatre. I'm off to bed, I'll see you guys tomorrow morning when absolutely nothing has happened."  
  
Des and Icarus exchanged looks as Cynthia traipsed up the stairs.  
  
"So much for the quiet night I was expecting," Des said to Icarus.  
  
"I can't believe she said that," Icarus replied, "I mean what do they teach them in England."  
  
Des laughed, "Okay off to bed with you and let's hope our paranoia cancelled out Cynthia's optimism."  
  
"Here's hoping," Icarus agreed waving crossed fingers at her before laughing and taking off up to his room.  
  
  
  
  
  
Diablo stared at the patch of shadow under the tree across from Wenona's house. Either he really had gone crazy and was hallucinating or the shadow was moving. No the shadow, the man sized shadow was definitely moving. His mind ran through a list of possibilities, Daybreaker, rival council agent, random human stalker, random human wandering around. He cancelled out the random human because if it was as human he'd have noticed them before now, that left Daybreaker or rival council agent. Either way they were stepping on his assignment. He paused for a moment before throwing caution to the wind and climbing out of the car. He was Diablo Mandril, a Dark Ninja and no human soulmate was going to make him soft or weak. Whoever that shadow was they had a heap of trouble coming their way. 


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last part.  
  
Orange: Heya, thanks so much for your review. I kind of feel sorry for poor Rus stuck with a pile of women, only sometimes I have to say. I really hope Diablo and Aniela don't end up like Des and Gwern, I don't think I can handle another pair like the two of them. There's hope for Ani and Diablo yet, a very, very small glimmer of hope but hope none the less.  
  
Redaura: Thanks so much, I love reading your reviews. I don't know about Wenona and Ani having a talk about the Night World but I definitely agree that they should sort Diablo out, someone needs to. Des's night watch, well you'll find out about that the next part, I think. And while Gwern's whereabouts still remain a mystery even to me I do know he will be appearing in this story in some form or other.  
  
Tjones: Thank you so much. Sorry this update took so long but that was due to circumstances beyond my control, i.e. fanficton.net playing up. The next update should be soon, I hope.  
  
Mandy: Thanks a lot. This should explain more about the shadow and I think an explanation of why they're after Wenona will happen soon, not the next part but maybe the one after that. I'm glad you like the Ani/Diablo stuff I really like writing it, they're fun to write in their own way.  
  
Anyway thanks a lot you guys, you're the best.  
  
  
  
Part 13.  
  
Diablo kept his eyes trained on the shadowy figure as he tried to come up with a way to get out of the car without attracting attention to himself. It didn't seem likely that whoever it was wouldn't see him or know he was coming. His blood was pounding already and he hadn't even left the car, it was only then he realised just how much he'd been looking for a fight the past few days.  
  
He opened the door and slid out smoothly. The other guy's attention was still trained on Wenona's house but Diablo knew better than to think he hadn't seen or at least sensed him. He was proved right when he approached the figure, although his attention remained on the house his lip curled slightly.  
  
  
  
"Diablo Mandril I presume," he said with disdain.  
  
"And you are?" Diablo asked taking in the guy's dark hair and clothes and annoyingly smug smirk.  
  
"Derryth Blackthorn," he replied giving Diablo a look that said I know you recognise the name.  
  
Diablo did recognise it and he knew the reputation that went with it. He felt anger sweep up through his, obviously the Night World council had sent this assassin too, which meant they didn't trust him and his team to get the job done.  
  
Derryth was looking at him out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"I thought all Mandril's had black hair and blue eyes," he said.  
  
"Yeah and I thought all Blackthorn's were intelligent, looks like we were both wrong," Diablo drawled.  
  
Derryth turned to him, "What's your problem?"  
  
"I'd think that would be obvious," Diablo muttered.  
  
"Well it's not," Derryth replied, "maybe you should tell me."  
  
"You're my problem," Diablo told him, "this is my job, you shouldn't be here."  
  
"Oh I get it," Derryth said softly, "I really should have realised you'd be like this considering what everyone says about you. You like to think you're some sort of hot shot, that you've this great reputation, more like you're a legend in your own lunchbox." The smug smile returned to his face, "From what I've been told the truth is your job is to watch the witch, my job is to take out the Daybreakers protecting her and depending on the information you get to take her out. I'm actually getting a little tired of waiting for that information, you're taking your time aren't you."  
  
Diablo bristled at the insult. This guy was seriously pissing him off. He was so angry with him it took a minute for what he said to finally make an impact.  
  
"What do you mean Daybreakers protecting her?" he demanded.  
  
"You really are slow aren't you? I mean the team of Daybreakers who were sent to protect he, who're staying in her house." He paused and a sly smile crept over his features, "You did know they're Daybreakers, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course I knew," Diablo snapped back truthfully, he had known they were Daybreakers, he just hadn't realised they were Wenona's protection.  
  
Come on it wasn't exactly obvious, a human, a werewolf and a shifter didn't seem the best protection to him. Apparently Daybreak didn't think the threat to Wenona was that significant or maybe they just didn't think she was significant, either way it was clear she didn't warrant a top class team. Yet the Night World had sent a team and a lone assassin after her, either the Night World knew something Daybreak didn't, which didn't seem likely, or the Night World was grasping at straws.  
  
  
  
Derryth had a mocking look on his face and one that pushed Diablo over the limit. He had enough to deal with on this stupid job, two partners who were joined at the lips, a human soulmate and now this asshole. He was pissed at Derryth, pissed at Cassian and Charlotte, pissed at Aniela and mostly pissed at the universe. He stormed back to the car slamming the door as hard as possible as he got in.  
  
Wenona wasn't going anywhere and Derryth was there to watch her anyway, who cared if his watch was over or not. He tore into the front yard with a scream of protest from the brakes that seemed apt. Cassian and Charlotte both looked at him bewildered as he dropped the keys on the table in front of them and then stomped back outside.  
  
The night air caressed his face gently as he stood at the door. The night called to him filling his nose with the scents of night, his ears with the sounds and making his blood sing. This was his time, his nature and he gave himself up to it. Gave himself up to the night, to the darkness and the hunting song that sang through his veins, this was what he was a creature of the night, of the darkness.  
  
"This was how he was meant to be, " he thought as he ran toward the woods at the back of the house, covering the soft grass of the lawn in long loping strides. "This was what he was and nothing and no one could change that," he thought as he crashed through the trees.  
  
  
  
Aniela was up early, much too early in her opinion but she hadn't had much say in it. Her uncle had taken her grandmother on a holiday to Italy as a belated birthday present. They were currently in Florence and her grandmother, knowing how early Ani's father got up and that she was most likely to get to talk to him in the morning considering how often he got stuck at the restaurant until late, had rung at 7.30am or barely after dawn in Aniela's opinion. Ani could have stayed in bed but she had missed her grandmother's last call and well, she missed her.  
  
The line was good and clear and it made Aniela feel like she was just talking to her at home a few miles away.  
  
"Hey Nonna," she said.  
  
"Hi Caro, how are you?"  
  
"I'm good," Aniela told her.  
  
"I'm glad and how are things at home? What's been happening?" she asked.  
  
"Things are good and nothing much," Aniela replied.  
  
"Are you sure?" her grandmother asked. "I detect a little hesitation there."  
  
Aniela smiled, only her grandmother could notice there was something wrong with her from thousands of miles away. "It's nothing really Nonna."  
  
"It's a boy I suppose."  
  
"Sort of," Aniela agreed.  
  
"Want to tell me about it?" her grandmother asked.  
  
"There's nothing to tell really," Ani said softly.  
  
"I don't believe that."  
  
"Well there's this guy and oh it's hard to explain," Aniela sighed.  
  
"Do you like this boy?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean I think so but I don't really know, I don't really know him."  
  
"But you like him."  
  
"Yeah, I guess but it's complicated."  
  
"Nah ah," her grandmother interrupted, "it's only complicated if you let it be, if you really like this boy you'll work it out."  
  
"But I'm not sure if he wants it to work or even if he does whether I can trust him or not."  
  
"If he's smart he'll want it to work," her grandmother told her, "how could he not want to be with my Ani. And as for the trust thing, you've got good instincts Ani, like your nonno, trust your instincts and you'll know whether you can trust him or not. Does that help?"  
  
"Yeah it does, thanks Nonna. Mamma wants to talk to you now."  
  
Aniela passed the phone to her mother and grinned at Abra, who was rubbing his head against her leg affectionately.  
  
"Come on you silly cat," she said with a laugh, "lets get breakfast."  
  
  
  
Aniela was half way through her bowl of cereal wondering if all cats ate as quickly and as messily as Abra when she heard the noise on the porch. Thinking she'd just imagined it she returned to her frosted flakes until she heard a scratching noise. She got up and without really thinking headed towards the porch grabbing a baseball bat from the nearby closet on her way to the door.  
  
She peeked out the window on the door first but couldn't really see anything. Then she opened the door slightly and peered around it.  
  
"Who's there?" she asked raising the baseball bat and feeling annoyed at the tremor she heard in her voice.  
  
"It's me," a male voice replied.  
  
Aniela gripped the bat even tighter as she stepped out on to the porch. Diablo was slouched against the table with his hands shoved into his pockets. Aniela felt a little grim satisfaction as she saw his eyes widen slightly when he saw the baseball bat. His hair was tousled and his face was grimy while his clothes were dirty and scratched.  
  
"What do you want?" she demanded.  
  
"I need your help," he told her.  
  
"With what?" she asked not letting keeping the baseball bat raised.  
  
"These," he replied pulling his hands from his pockets and turning the m towards.  
  
She gasped she couldn't really help herself. The backs of his hands were badly bruised and torn while numerous cuts across his knuckles were bleeding profusely. She dropped the bat and rushed forward.  
  
"What did you do to yourself," she asked softly as she lifted his hands gently to get a better look.  
  
"I kind of got into a fight with a tree," he said self-deprecatingly.  
  
"Looks like the tree won," Aniela replied as she examined the cuts along his knuckles. "You'd better come in so I can look after these."  
  
Aniela looked up into Diablo's eyes as she said this and saw a look of gratitude and something more, which made her blush.  
  
"Come on," she said as she led him into the house wondering how exactly she was going to explain this to her parents. 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: Okay, I'm hoping I'll be able to get this part up seeing as I've seen a few updated fics, so I'm going to try with fingers crossed, and for once it's not my fault that this part is late.  
  
Orange: Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, it was one of my favourite to write, and there's some Gwern in this, well indirectly at least. I hope you enjoy it.  
  
Redaura: If I'd gotten your review sooner maybe that's what would have happened, I wanted an explanation for the tree fight too but as you'll see Diablo managed to wriggle out of it. I have to say he kind of deserves being beaten up, I mean anyone who attacks a tree deserves what's coming to them. Thanks for reviewing and you should know you're the reason this is up today, I was going to wait till tomorrow but I got your review and decided to put it up today, well I hope you enjoy it.  
  
Part 14.  
  
Des was tired, really tired. It was getting, late, actually it was worse, it was getting early. It was that time when the night was stealing away and it still wasn't quite morning. Everything had been quite so far but she still had a feeling of fluttering apprehension in her stomach. It wasn't fair to blame Cynthia for it but up until she had said that things would be quiet Des hadn't felt worried. Truthfully she'd kind of been planning to doze on the Blessingways' very comfortable sofa.  
  
Icarus was supposed to relieve her soon and not before time, she was so sleepy that her senses were beginning to suffer and her reaction times were off. Being on her own like this gave her time to think but it also gave her time to worry. And she was worried, worried about lots of things but two stood out in her mind more than anything else. One was Wenona, she didn't understand why the Night World would be after her. Sure she was a Daybreaker but that was it, she was an ordinary Daybreak member, not especially special. It didn't make sense and when it didn't make sense you couldn't anticipate what was going to happen.  
  
The other thing she worried about was Gwern, sometimes she didn't even want to think about him but tonight wrapped in the peace and silence of the night she worried about him, where he was, if he was alright, looking after himself and not getting himself into trouble but that really didn't seem very likely. Trouble seemed to follow Gwern around and if it didn't find him then with his quick temper he'd find it. So she worried and wondered about him, wondered if he'd like Cynthia and Wenona as much as she did, wondered where he was and what he was doing, wondered if he missed her as much as she missed him and worried that he didn't. He had left her after all if he missed her he could always come back.  
  
She closed her eyes tightly and leaned her head against the side of the armchair she was sitting on trying as best she could to get rid of the images of Gwern that filled her mind.  
  
Goddess, she shouldn't have started to think about him because now she thought she could sense him, that strong, bright presence that she'd been blocking for so long. It felt so strong, so close almost as if he was next to her. It must have been because she'd been holding it back for so long but Goddess he felt so near, almost like if she opened her eyes he'd be standing in front of her close enough to touch.  
  
She opened her eyes and the room was empty just as she'd known it would be. The only sound was her own breathing, she was so stupid for a moment she'd actually believed he might be there, that he might just have come back to her. It must have been wishful thinking on her part that made him feel so close though he was probably ten thousand miles away. She ached, she physically ached, she hurt so much it felt like her heart was shattering and the shards were tearing her apart.  
  
She stood up quickly and began to pace around the room, she had to stop thinking about him, if she didn't think about him then it didn't hurt so much and she wanted it to stop hurting, she needed it to stop. She knew that not all soulmates stayed together, that sometimes being together was too much for them but being apart from Gwern was almost too much for her especially when he felt as close as he did because it made her remember how it felt to be with him.  
  
"Stop thinking about him," she told herself, "think about Wenona and how to protect her from whatever's after her."  
  
It seemed a bit strange to Des that as time went on and nothing happened to suggest someone was really after Wenona she became more and more convinced that someone was though why was the real question.  
  
She sat into the wide windowsill of one of the windows that looked out on the street. It was still dark outside though she could see a tinge of light somewhere on the horizon. Was there someone out there? She just couldn't tell; she didn't have the night vision of a Night Person but if there was they were staying very well hidden.  
  
She hated it when being human meant she might miss something important that a Night Person would pick up on. She sighed thinking about how Gwern would turn that emotion against her; he just didn't understand, yes she hated it, yes it frustrated her but that didn't mean she wanted to become a vampire. He had tried to use her emotions against her to convince her to change. She'd been so angry with him for that, he'd tried to manipulate her even though he knew how much she hated it; he knew how much she detested other people trying to control her especially after what had happened to her before.  
  
"Goddess," she thought, "why does every thing I think somehow come back around to Gwern? So maybe I miss him a little, okay a lot but thinking about him isn't going to make things any easier, it's just making things worse even if it does make him feel closer, even if for just a minute it makes me think he's coming back."  
  
Des drew her legs up in front of her and rested her chin on her knees. She was getting so sick of this, it wasn't like Gwern was her whole life, she had good friends, she had a cause for Goddess sake and things to worry about that were a lot more important than Gwern Burdock, soulmate or not. She'd been fine without him before and she'd be fine without him now.  
  
She pressed her face to the window trying to see if there was actually someone out there, someone not Gwern, but it was still too dark for her to make anything out properly yet.  
  
"Where are you Gwern?" she whispered softly to herself.  
  
What Des didn't know was that the soulmate connection took her words and whispered them in his dreams and took her pain and laid it against his soul like a knife.  
  
Sometime later Des found herself being shaken awake. She knew she must have been asleep for a while because it was already bright outside.  
  
"Oh Goddess," she exclaimed. "How long have I been asleep? Is everything okay?" she asked looking up into Icarus's grinning face.  
  
"I don't know how long you've been asleep but everything's fine and truthfully if anything happened it would be fault really; I was supposed to relieve you a while ago but I kind of sleep it out." Icarus told her obviously trying to look sheepish but failing miserably. "Sorry," he said meekly helping her off the windowsill and ushering her toward the stairs. "Why don't you go try sleeping in a bed for a change."  
  
"Yes Master," Des said with a smile figuring she could give out to him about relieving her late later, when she was awake.  
  
She climbed slowly up the stairs trying to remember the dream she'd been having, it had been a nice one for once and instead of waking up breathing hard with painful images dancing in front of her eyes she'd woken up feeling happy. Before she'd meet Gwern she'd had nightmares all the time but when they were together they had become less and less frequent until she'd thought they were gone for good but they'd come back shortly after Gwern left.  
  
She nearly kicked herself for thinking of Gwern again then plodded up the last of the stairs thinking only of the nice warm bed that was waiting for her in the Blessingways' guest room.  
  
  
  
At the same time across town Aniela was pulling some small splinters out of Diablo's hands with a tweezers. She held his hand as gently as she could while making sure he didn't pull it away when she tried to remove a splinter. She had finally gotten over the initial shock of seeing how damaged his hands were and was now wondering why exactly he'd decided to attack a tree.  
  
"Ouch," he said as she took the last splinter out.  
  
"Don't be such a baby," she said smiling at him, "I thought you were supposed to be a big strong vampire, what's a little splinter to you?"  
  
Diablo didn't seem to find her funny and gave her a scornful look, "It hurts, okay."  
  
"Well that will teach you," Ani replied wondering how exactly you treated a vampire's cuts, whether ordinary disinfectant would work or if she should use something else.  
  
Diablo seemed to recognise her problem and picked a bottle out of the first aid kit, "This will do."  
  
"Well are you going to tell me why you attacked the tree or what?" Ani asked as she opened the bottle and poured a little of the orange liquid on to some cotton wool. "What did the tree do to you? This might sting."  
  
She pressed the cotton bud to one of his cuts ignoring the hiss of pain that he made.  
  
"Might sting," he exclaimed pulling his hand away, "it feels like it's striping my skin off."  
  
"Stop changing the subject," Aniela told him, "and give me back your hand or it will get infected and fall off."  
  
"Sounds like something my grandmother would say," Diablo murmured reluctantly returning his hand to her gentle grip.  
  
"Mine does say that," Aniela said absently as she continued to clean his wounds.  
  
"Thanks for doing this," Diablo said suddenly, "I wasn't really sure what you'd do especially when I saw that bat. I thought you were going to hit me over the head with it."  
  
Aniela smiled, it was strange to hear Diablo talking to her like that, strange but nice, she wasn't sure she ever expected to her gratitude and tenderness directed towards her coming from him. "It certainly crossed my mind," she said softly.  
  
She began to wrap dressings around his hand ignoring the feelings inside her that were clamouring for her attention. When she finished she ran her thumb tenderly along the palm of his hand not really sure what she was doing but feeling sort of outside herself, especially as Diablo rose his hand to cup her face gently.  
  
"You're beautiful you know," he told her his voice reduced to a low whisper. "And I don't just mean the outside, it must be true what they say about eyes being the window to the soul because you've got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen and the most beautiful soul."  
  
Aniela giggled; she couldn't help it, it was just too much for her.  
  
"What's so funny?" Diablo demanded looking hurt.  
  
"Oh Lord save me from poetic declarations of love from vampires," Ani replied laughing harder.  
  
"I will have you know that that is one of my best lines," Diablo said trying unsuccessfully to hide the beginning of a smile. "I never really considered it poetic before, do you really think it was?"  
  
Ani laughed again surprised and privately really pleased that they could share a moment so normal and ordinary as this, that they could share a joke together and that every moment they spent together didn't have to be about how them being together was wrong or arguing. She didn't really want to admit it but it ignited a spark of hope within her that maybe there could be something between them after all.  
  
She looked up at Diablo not realising that he was looking down at her warm, shining eyes and smiling lips and thinking the same thing. He dipped his lips towards hers. Ani's mother chose that moment to burst into the kitchen having seen her father off at the door.  
  
"Ani is everything okay in here I thought I heard voices," she said before she stopped short and her mouth fell slightly open as she processed the scene before her.  
  
"Aniela, what is going on here?" her mother demanded. "And who is this boy?"  
  
"Oh God," Ani groaned she had thought her mom was angry but it was much worse than that; she was interested and she had her I want details look on her face. She didn't have to be psychic to know she and Diablo were in for a very embarrassing inquisition. 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: Another part, well this is mainly due to the fact fanfiction.net's been down so I got this written last week so don't expect too many up dates to be this quick, anyway thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.  
  
Adelaide E: Thanks so much for reviewing the story and hey there's no shame in procrastinating, I do plenty of it myself. I don't know what it is about Gwern but lots of people seem to have become attached to him, I guess I am a little too, he and Des are probably my two favourite characters of any I've written so I guess I'm allowed to be attached.  
  
Orange: Heya, I'm glad you liked the last part, I'm practically blushing from your praise, thank you so much. I'm glad you liked the bit with Ani and Diablo, I figured they needed a bit of normality or as close to it as the two of them will get. And don't give up on Gwern, not yet anyway.  
  
Redaura: Thank you so much, I'm so glad you liked this part. I thought about Diablo using mind control but I didn't think Ani would like it. Man I hope it doesn't take Des nearly dying to get Gwern back to her, I'd practically have to kick his ass just for that, or well get Rus to or something.  
  
RiLa: I don't think I based Ani's character on anyone well not consciously anyway but you never know, there's probably bits of lots of different characters in her anyway. I can't really comment because my characters always seem sort of familiar to me anyway especially the ones in this story.  
  
Mandy: Hey, thanks, I know what you mean about fanfiction.net, I missed my fix of fiction and reviews. Des is a favourite of mine too and I felt I'd been neglecting her a little so this chapter was born. And yes, Gwern should be popping up at some stage, I wasn't really sure how before but I've got some ideas I'm working on so it could be soon. Diablo is the kind of character that grows on you, a lot of people have said that they're starting to like him more, I think it's probably the effect of finding a human soulmate but I think there was some good in him all the time, it was just struggling to get out before.  
  
Part 15.  
  
Aniela was watching her mother question Diablo caught somewhere between amusement and embarrassment. Diablo wasn't exactly the most open person not even with her so it was funny to watch him squirm under the full onslaught of her mother's questions. It was embarrassing, awkward and uncomfortable as well but Ani was enjoying it too because it was such an ordinary and normal thing to be happening. Plus right now Diablo was suffering the brunt of it and sending pleading looks at her. She just grinned back at him, this was her family, this was her life and if he wanted to be part of it he would have to get used to it. It was fun watching her mother's reactions too, like the arched eyebrow she sent in Aniela's direction when Diablo told her his name.  
  
Abra was winding his way around her legs mewing softly and obviously interested in watching the show too. Ani picked him up and settled him on her lap and began to stroke her back as they watched.  
  
"What do we think Abra?" Do we like him?" she whispered.  
  
Abra purred but Ani thought that might have more to do with the fact that she was scratching behind her ears than Diablo.  
  
Her mother continued her inquisition asking some questions so personal they made Aniela cringe but despite the many desperate glances he sent Aniela's way Diablo answered them all good-naturedly. By the end of it Ani's mom had a small smile on her face that told Aniela she liked Diablo but which also worried her knowing her mother. God only knew what she'd ask Ani once Diablo had left.  
  
"It was very nice to meet you," Diablo said suddenly to her mother, "but I really need to be getting home."  
  
"Oh of course, it was very nice to meet you too Diablo," her mom said hiding a tiny smile. "Why don't you show him out Ani."  
  
Aniela walked out to the porch with Diablo following her closely.  
  
"I'm really sorry about that," she burst out as he closed the door behind them.  
  
"Don't worry about it," he told her, "it was." Aniela grinned as he struggled to find an appropriate word. "Bracing," he finished eventually.  
  
"That's one way to describe it," Aniela agreed.  
  
"It's kind of nice," Diablo said contemplatively. "That she cares so much about you to want to know that much about me," he said seeing Aniela's puzzled look. "My mother doesn't know the first thing about me or my life, she doesn't want to know the first thing about me and my life."  
  
"I'm sorry," Aniela said softly to him not sure exactly how to react to a revelation like that.  
  
"Don't be," Diablo replied dispassionately, "It would probably be worse if she actually cared, she hasn't got the most developed maternal instinct."  
  
"Still it must have been hard for you as a kid," Aniela said.  
  
"Not really, I lived on an enclave, there was always a lot of other people around who looked out for me."  
  
"What's an enclave?" she asked.  
  
Diablo could have kicked himself, what the hell was wrong with him; he'd just revealed the existence of enclaves to a human. He was seriously losing it and he was putting her in danger now that that Blackthorn asshole was in town. The worst thing as far as he was concerned was that he felt worse about putting her in danger than revealing one of the Night World's secrets.  
  
"An enclave's a secret, hidden place where vampires live," he told her.  
  
"All vampires live in one?" she asked her interest caught by this snippet of information he'd revealed to her.  
  
"No, just some, usually the older and richer families who can afford to have a place like that," he replied figuring since he'd told her the other stuff he might as well tell her everything.  
  
"Oh," she said.  
  
"I guess I really should get going," he said, "your mum might accost us at any moment"  
  
He moved towards her and she could feel it growing deep with in her, the feeling she felt whenever she was near him. She didn't understand it but then she didn't think she was supposed to, it just was. It tugged at her pulling them closer to each other, drawing them into each other. It was attraction like a magnet, positive to negative, her to him.  
  
"I think this was where we were before we go interrupted," he said tilting her head towards him and brushing his lips against hers gently.  
  
As he touched her Aniela felt everything around them fade to black but it didn't last long, the barest instant, quick and sudden, sharp and sweet. She was so confused, yesterday they'd decided they couldn't be together, today they were kissing in her patio; nothing made sense anymore. She hated this so much, hated, needed and wanted it.  
  
"I know," he said brushing some strands of hair away from her face. "I'm really confused too," he said with a slight grin, "and I've got the scars to prove it."  
  
"So what are we going to do about it?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," he replied, "I guess for the moment we should take things as they come until we do know what we want to do."  
  
"I guess," Aniela agreed.  
  
"Okay it's a plan," Diablo said with a slight quirk of his lips, "I really got to go now. I'll see you whenever."  
  
"Whenever," Aniela said softly watching him leave.  
  
  
  
Her mother was at the cooker when she returned to the kitchen. Ani waited for the outburst of questioning but it didn't seem forthcoming.  
  
"You look like someone who could use some pancakes," her mother said with a smile.  
  
"I look that bad huh?" Ani asked. Pancakes were their morning comfort food as it was too early really to eat any of there other stable comfort foods, though there had been that one episode where they'd some how got through an entire packet of cookies and two litres of milk by 9am but those had been special circumstances and the less that was said about that incident the better.  
  
"Yeah," her mother told her, "and I want to say sorry too, I just couldn't stop myself, I wanted to but the questions just came out. I just like to know about your friends, especially such a handsome friend who seems to like you so much."  
  
"You really think he likes me?" Aniela asked, "Wait you think he's handsome?"  
  
"Oh yes, he likes you, it's obvious and he's very handsome."  
  
"Mum," Ani admonished with a grin, "I'm going to tell Dad you said that."  
  
"Then I'll tell him you were kissing a boy in the patio," her mother replied.  
  
"Hmmm, maybe it's best we don't tell Dad about this at all," Aniela suggested.  
  
"Maybe," her mom agreed. She paused to flip one of the pancakes then turned to Aniela with a serious look on her face, "Well we know he likes you but the question is, do you like him?"  
  
Aniela sighed, "I don't know Mom, well that's not true, I do like him, I like him a lot but. Did you ever really, really like someone but still be not sure if you should be with them?"  
  
"No," her mom admitted, "I don't think I have."  
  
"I'm just really confused right now," Aniela confessed.  
  
"That's okay käresta, it's okay to be confused especially at your age, just take it day by day until you're sure."  
  
"That's kind of what Diablo said," Aniela told her.  
  
"See I knew that boy had a good head on his shoulders," her mom said with a smile. "Though I can't imagine what his parents must be like," she muttered to herself, "calling him a name like Diablo, what must they have been thinking."  
  
Ani grinned, she figured Diablo's name was going to be a talking point in the house for some time to come. So taking it day by day, she could manage that, for a little while at least. 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Rating: 15.  
  
Author: Aife Bisclaveret {or Bernadette in the real world}  
  
E-mail: treeloie@yahoo.com or aife_bisclaveret@hotmail.com msn messenger and yahoo messenger same as e-mail.  
  
Title: The Fire That Binds.  
  
Author's Notes: I am so, so sorry that this part has taken so long it was a culmination of a lot of really minor distractions and some pretty big real life problems, I had one really terrible week that you don't want to hear about, then I was sick one night. I was also uninspired for a little while and when I finally knew what I wanted to write my brother managed to break word on our computer, so you see for once I have pretty decent excuses.  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter you guys are angels to put up with me.  
  
Orange: I wanted to put Gwern in this part I really did, especially when I found I'd passed the number of reviews I got for BBF, it was going to be a celebration but as usual he was being difficult. Still don't give up one of these days I'll get the better of him. I hope the studying is going okay or maybe you've finished by now considering how long this part took, either way good luck in the exams.  
  
Mandy: I'm glad Diablo's starting to grow on you, I didn't like him so much to begin with but I do now, it might be because he's fun to write. Anyway thank you for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Adelaide E: I'm glad you liked that. It was really fun to write, Diablo is a bad ass vampire but I think that Ani's mom's inquisition would make anyone nervous. Thanks so much for reviewing.  
  
Redaura: Gwern getting up for soulmate negligence is definitely an idea, author annoyance would be a good one too, though I finally know for definite where he is and how he's going to turn up in this story so at least one good thing came from this little gap in parts. Anyway I can't thank you enough for reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chap.  
  
  
  
Part 16.  
  
Aniela lay in her bed letting the soft, smooth tones of the song that was playing on her CD player wash over her without really listening to it. Her mind was in other places and on other things. She was glad she didn't have to work that day because she was really tired and hundreds of different thoughts were running through her head and she knew it would have been impossible for her to concentrate on anything.  
  
'Take things as they come,' that was what they'd agreed just a few hours ago and she'd been happy with it, just happy to have him in her life. Now she wasn't sure how she felt; she was back to being confused. She'd spent the last hour since she and her Mom had come home from Mass thinking about Diablo and what was going on between them.  
  
She had made the mistake of looking at herself in the mirror while she was brushing her hair and that had set her off. She was the exact same Aniela that she had been a few days ago, long, thick, dark brown hair (one if the few things she liked about her appearance), dark eyes, pale skin, short and plump. She wasn't beautiful, she wasn't' even close to beautiful, she occasionally looked pretty but that was about it.  
  
Diablo on the other hand was gorgeous, he was one of the best looking guys she'd ever met and he was exactly the kind of guy she shouldn't be with or that she'd always thought she shouldn't be with. He was, well she might as well admit it, he was loose and obviously attractive and she was fairly sure she couldn't handle that.  
  
She'd always felt she'd be with someone ordinary like her, some one nice looking but not off the scale gorgeous and most importantly someone nice, sweet, kind and gentle and some one she could trust, someone who she knew wouldn't break her heart. She was asking a lot, she knew, probably too much. There was going to be that risk in every relationship, which was probably why she'd had so few. The bigger problem was she was even more afraid of Diablo breaking her heart than anyone else and not because he was more likely to but because she'd come to realise that if he did it would hurt more than with anyone else.  
  
She'd just come to realise what exactly was going on between them and she was scared. She had known, he'd told her what it was, soulmates, but she hadn't really thought what that meant, not really and now she had and she was petrified. This was what she'd always dreamed of, always longed for; she believed it was what everyone longed for. To find that one person who was meant for you, the one person who could understand you completely, love you unconditionally, who touched you soul to soul and heart to heart, your soul's mate, the one for you. And she had it, she was one of the lucky ones, right, she had found it, she had found him. Shouldn't she be deliriously happy? Not afraid.  
  
It wasn't the fact that he was a vampire that scared her though it did give her a whole new set of fears; as well as all the natural things in life to be fearful of she now had a whole set of supernatural fears to deal with. However finding him had created a much bigger fear within her, the fear she would lose him.  
  
It was so silly really, they'd only known each other a few days and well, they weren't even really together but now one of her biggest fears was that he was going to leave. She knew it was going to happen, they hadn't talked about it but she knew that he had a job to do and once he was finished he was going back. She knew he wasn't going to stay, it would probably be best if he didn't, it would attract attention and maybe put her and her family in danger and that was the last thing she wanted.  
  
That wasn't even the worse thing; the worst thing was that despite everything, despite who and what he'd done to her she was falling in love with him. She sighed kicked her mattress half in anger, half in resignation and finally admitted to herself that she wasn't falling in love with him she was already in love with him. She loved him for all the potential she saw in him, for the ability to do good that was buried deep inside him, she loved the lonely, abandoned little boy he'd been and the strong, self-reliant and confident man he'd grown into. She loved him unconditionally for what he was and everything he could be. And the scariest thing of all was that he might not love her back.  
  
He'd told her he thought she was beautiful and he'd meant it, she'd felt that he meant but he'd never said anything about love. She was probably the last person he'd want to love; she was quiet, ordinary and most importantly human. But then God or the universe or whatever seemed to believe they were supposed to be together and who was she to argue with that.  
  
She looked at Abra, who was napping in a pool of sunlight on her bedroom floor. She looked so content in her sleep that Aniela felt jealous, she wished she could be as contented but she figured she'd have to be a cat to have any chance of that. She needed to talk to someone; no she needed to talk to Wenona. Strangely they hadn't had a chance to talk much that weekend but Wenona did have visitors and she'd had her own stuff to deal with. The problem was she didn't want to talk about it over the phone and she really didn't want to talk about it in front of strangers but then she didn't want to seem rude by excluding the others. Well maybe she'd work something out when she got there.  
  
"I'm going to Nona's Mom," she called as she bounded down the stairs and grabbed her keys from the rack.  
  
"Okay Ani, dinner's at 6, be sure to be back in time," her mother called from the kitchen.  
  
"Alright, bye," she called from the door then jogged lightly to her car, her beloved car, not accident waiting to happen as her Mom had called it the night before.  
  
  
  
Wenona was incredibly cranky which was an unusual mood for her, one she didn't have much experience with and one she definitely didn't like. Everything was getting on her nerves even the tiniest insignificant things that she normally wouldn't think twice about. She wasn't used to being so petulant, she disliked it but somehow she couldn't stop herself. She normally prided herself on being so calm and levelheaded and being so hard to ruffle. She got angry of course but it was always for good reason until today that was.  
  
She blamed her bad mood on her lack of sleep the night before. Usually she was a sound sleeper, her mother said she'd sleep through an earthquake, which was entirely possible as one morning she'd woken to discover a tree in there back yard that had fallen during a huge storm the night before. So not being able to sleep through the night was unusual for her. She blamed it on the Daybreakers, they were making her paranoid, she'd been jumping at shadows all night and had become highly sensitive to even the smallest noise, which would send her into freak out mode. It had been a long night.  
  
Her house was also starting to feel slightly claustrophobic. It wasn't that there wasn't enough room for them all, there was plenty but she was used to it being just her and her mother. She was finding it hard getting used to having them around all the time.  
  
There was also the talk of Des's soulmate; it was starting to make her feel lonely. Usually she was fine; she kept busy and really didn't have much time to think about him but the past few days he'd been constantly on her mind. It was a strange kind of loneliness nothing like the isolated feeling of being totally alone or having no friends, but a sort of painful knowledge that a part of her was missing. She got on fine without him, she had a life, she had friends but she missed him all the time and even worse than usual the last few days, which was why she hadn't wanted to talk about him much with the others, it hurt.  
  
She was also missing Ani and Alex, they hadn't spent as much time together this weekend as they usually did and she'd missed them. Their Saturday nights were usually spent enjoying a video marathon complete with popcorn and too much chocolate. It often deteriorated into chaos with Alex and Ani throwing popcorn at the screen and complaining of predictability, laughing at parts that were supposed to be serious, guessing which actresses had what plastic surgery and Ani complaining that it was always the perfect, good looking, annoying girl who got the guy when there was a perfectly good normal girl there for him to get with. She presumed that they thought she'd be too busy with her guests this weekend or maybe they didn't want to intrude.  
  
She frowned and glared at Icarus who had done absolutely nothing to deserve it besides be in her line of sight. She grinned at her obviously understanding what kind of mood she was in and not taking her too seriously, which was good and also annoying. Why'd he have to be so nice and understanding all the time? He was supposed to be protecting her but Wenona got the distinct impression that if someone attacked her he'd be more likely to want to talk it through with them than fight back. Of course she was being completely unfair to him but she was cranky.  
  
The doorbell rang and she went to answer it. Icarus pissed her off even more by following her and lounging in the door of the living room while she opened the door. Obviously he was trying to keep her safe but dark ninja's didn't strike her as the type of people who'd knock.  
  
A very disgruntled looking Wenona opened the door for Aniela making her wonder what exactly had happened to wind you up her usually calm friend.  
  
"Ani," Wenona exclaimed with a bright smile, "come in. I wasn't sure if you were going to come around this weekend."  
  
"Well I thought you'd probably be busy with your guests so I didn't want to bother you but I kind of need to talk to you about something," Aniela replied walking into the house.  
  
As she came through the door she spotted Wenona's friend Icarus leaning against a doorframe grinning. He caught her looking and winked at her causing her to blush her most hated involuntary reaction. His grinned grew wider as he saw the red tinge spread across her cheeks irritating her immensely. Then he straightened up and wandered off to a different part of the house.  
  
  
  
Wenona waited until Icarus disappeared into the kitchen before turning to Aniela. "Do you want to go for a walk? I need to get out of here for a while and we'll have more privacy."  
  
"Sure okay," Aniela agreed.  
  
"Great," Wenona said softly then opened the door as quietly as possible hoping Icarus's enhanced hearing wouldn't hear them sneaking off. She didn't like leaving without telling the others and possibly worrying them but if she didn't get out of the house of a little while she was libel to bite one of their heads off and she really didn't want to upset them, she really liked them all and she was starting to think of them as friends rather that protectors.  
  
"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Wenona asked as she set a fairly quick pace down the road.  
  
"It's sort of a long story," Aniela told her.  
  
"That's good because I am in the mood for a long story," Wenona replied with a grin, "a nice long story that will keep us out of the house for a long time."  
  
"I kind of fell in love with someone," Aniela said quickly running all her words together and blushing again as she looked at Wenona for a reaction. "Actually I guess it's not that long a story," she added self- depreciatively.  
  
"Ani that's great," Wenona said smiling widely, "Who is it? It is great right?" she asked seeing Ani's less than ecstatic facial expression.  
  
"Well sort of," Aniela told her, "but well I'm sort of worried that he mightn't want to love me back."  
  
Wenona paused considering the strange way her friend had phrased her worry. Usually Ani was afraid someone didn't like her back not that someone didn't want to love her back, you either loved someone or you didn't, how could you not want to love someone back?  
  
"Oh," she sighed as realisation dawned over her. Her mind flicked through all the Night people in town wondering who it could be. She was fairly certain it wasn't any of the local lamia family because Ani didn't have any contact with them, it could be Samuel, the coyote shifter in their class but surely they'd have known before now, which left the newcomers, she knew for a fact it wasn't Rus so that left Cassian or Diablo and Cassian already had a soulmate so.  
  
"Diablo?" she asked softly.  
  
Aniela looked up at her wide-eyed, "How did you know?"  
  
"Oh Ani," she said, "We've got a lot more to talk about than you know."  
  
And that was as far as their conversation got because just as she finished saying those words a tall, black haired guy stepped in front of them blocking their path.  
  
"Tut, tut," he said with a smirk on his face. "Really I expected better of you. After all the time I spent watching you I thought you had at least some intelligence but as usual you daybreakers manage to astound me with your idiocy. Unfortunately for you you're going to pay dearly for that and your little vermin friend here too."  
  
"I am so sick of people calling me vermin," Aniela thought and that was when things started to get really strange. 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Rating: 15.  
  
Author: Aife Bisclaveret {or Bernadette in the real world}  
  
E-mail: treeloie@yahoo.com or aife_bisclaveret@hotmail.com  
  
Title: The Fire That Binds.  
  
Author's Notes: Again I am so sorry that this part took so long but I've been really busy the past few weeks. Thankful things have settled down again now so it shouldn't take me so long to get around to finishing parts.  
  
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.  
  
Mandy: I'm glad you liked chapter 16. I felt that we kind of needed to see what Aniela was thinking and feeling before I wrote the next chapters. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reviewing.  
  
Adelaide E: I totally agree about the vermin thing, plus it's sort of a dead give away that their Night World. And I agree that Diablo's a total idiot if he doesn't love Ani but she's an insecure female and she's never been in love before so she's scared and she needs a little reassurance but Diablo being Diablo doesn't see that.  
  
Orange: Sorry again for the delay life's just been crazy, anyway good luck in your exams if you haven't done tem yet or I hope they were okay if they're over. Thanks so much for the review, I'd love to see Ani kicking his ass but she's not exactly Rashel so I don't really see it happening. And I totally understand the whining about Ani and Diablo believe me I do enough of it myself, I have no control over them.  
  
Redaura: Diablo, well knowing him he's probably at home lounging around annoying Charlotte. Yes this is the one that pissed Diablo off. Wenona and Ani definitely have to have a talk but not this chapter, I think the next one's going to be the big talk. My brother who broke the compute has actually moved out for college tonight so there's one less distraction. As for Gwern, well read on. And thank you so much, I really enjoy reading your reviews.  
  
Tamashii: Thanks so much for reviewing, I'm so glad you like the story. The new guy's not actually a new guy. He's the guy who Diablo was arguing with a few chapters ago. I think Diablo and Ani go really well together too, I just hope they realise it too.  
  
Jenni NW: Well finally here's more, I hope you didn't mind the wait too long. I hope you enjoyed Bound By Flame, it's one of the few stories I've ever written that I still like months and months after I finished it. Cliffhangers are definitely evil but sometimes there a necessary evil, anyway thank you so, so much for reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
  
  
Part 17.  
  
For some unfathomable reason Cynthia's caffeine search led her first to the living room, which proved just how much she needed a coffee fix. As a shapeshifter she didn't need anything to survive besides meat but if she didn't get her coffee she really wasn't at her best and she did strange things, like going to the living room looking for the coffee pot instead of the kitchen. Her caffeine dependence wasn't her fault though, it was all the fault of her old team; she hadn't even tasted coffee until she'd joined them and then it was coffee at breakfast, coffee at lunch, constant coffee. Hell, Clidna, a witch practically walked around inhaling the stuff.  
  
Predictably she didn't find the coffee pot in the living room, she did however find Des. She was sitting at the window staring at nothing in particular; she had a sad but sort of vacant look that Cynthia was growing accustomed to seeing on her face. She decided against talking to her figuring she probably wanted to be alone.  
  
Cynthia padded silently out of the living room and continued her coffee quest into the kitchen. Icarus was in there reading the paper and glancing at the phone occasionally.  
  
"There's fresh coffee in the pot," he said with a grin when he saw her. "I just made it," he told her waving his mug.  
  
"My hero," she said laughing as she took a big coffee mug from the press. "So what are you up to?" she asked as she prepared her coffee.  
  
"Well," he said, "I'm reading the paper and drinking a mug of coffee."  
  
"Excuse me for being curious," she retorted.  
  
"Well I'm waiting for a phone call too," he told her.  
  
"Really, anything important?" Cynthia asked.  
  
"Not really, I just asked Daybreak to check out a few people in town. I probably should have done it when we first got here but Wenona knows all the Night People in town so it shouldn't be that important."  
  
"Have you talked to Des yet today?" Cynthia asked broaching the subject tentatively as she sat down opposite him placing her mug carefully in front of her to keep her coffee from sloshing out all over the table.  
  
"Yeah I was talking to her earlier," Rus replied, "why d'you ask?"  
  
"It's just," Cynthia paused for a moment deciding what to say, "I saw her a few minutes ago in the living room and she looked really sad."  
  
"She does have a lot to be sad about," Icarus responded.  
  
"You mean her soulmate," Cynthia said.  
  
"Not just Gwern," he said, "even before she met him she had a lot of stuff but yeah, right now I'd say it's Gwern upsetting her. I don't know what it is but since we started this mission it's been worse than usual. I've tried to cheer her up and reassure her that he's going to come back but she seems even more convinced that he's not."  
  
"He'll be back," Cynthia said.  
  
"You sound very convinced for someone who's never even met him," Icarus said a little sceptically.  
  
"Yeah but I've met Des and he's her soulmate so I say he'll come back."  
  
"I think he'll be back too but I don't know how to convince Des," Icarus told her. "The problem is that although I've known him much longer than her, she knows things about him and sees parts of him that no one else ever will; I guess she knows him better than anyone else but sometimes I think she chooses parts of him to see to suit how she's feeling about the two of them at the time. In her heart I think she knows he'll be back but I think that she just can't let herself believe that just in case it never happens. I think she thinks being pessimistic will mean she gets hurt less in the long run."  
  
The phone rang just then breaking into their conversation. Cynthia didn't really mean to listen as Icarus spoke to whoever was on the other end but it was kind of hard not to considering he was so nearby plus it was Daybreak business so it wasn't like she was eavesdropping on a private conversation.  
  
"God damn it," Icarus exclaimed causing Cynthia to turn around in surprise.  
  
"I can't believe it. How could we have been so stupid, I should have known; I knew the names sounded familiar. I'm going to tell the girls and then we'll try to come up with a plan, I'll call you back."  
  
"Des get in here," Icarus yelled as he hung up the phone.  
  
Cynthia watched as he paced the floor, a furrowed forehead and an uncharacteristic frown revealed that he was not at all happy about something.  
  
Sometimes when you're only seeing parts of a bigger picture something small happens and suddenly you're seeing it in its entirety. At that moment that was exactly what was happening to Aniela. For the past few days she'd been seeing different parts of the puzzle, she'd learnt about soulmates and then the Night World and vampires and she'd learnt about Diablo and what he did but she hadn't seen it all together and she certainly hadn't been seeing everything. Now with some "look at me I dress all in black I'm really scary" vampire coming towards them with his teeth out and Wenona standing beside her mumbling words she didn't understand she felt the pieces fit together.  
  
Suddenly a lot of things started to make sense to Ani like why Wenona hadn't run screaming when she saw the vampire's teeth and why she was vermin and Nona was something else. Diablo had said there were different species within the Night World, somehow she didn't think that Wenona was a vampire or a shapeshifter so that left witch and well that certainly explained a lot about Nona and her mom.  
  
And this vampire who, well she might as well admit it, appeared to be a lot like Diablo and who seemed to have some particularly violent interest in Wenona explained a lot too like Diablo and the others surprising interest in her to begin with and why she'd never really found out what Diablo was doing in town.  
  
It didn't take her long to come to these realisations and while she was another part of her brain was wondering why they weren't running. That was the best plan she could come up with but Wenona was obviously thinking something else and she couldn't just leave her alone with this guy, who must be extremely arrogant to attack them on the street or maybe he just didn't care about who saw as long as he did whatever it was he was supposed to do.  
  
Ani wasn't really sure exactly what happened but suddenly he was beside Wenona and she had barely seen him move.  
  
"Really," he said in an admonishing tone, "I was expecting more of a fight, did you really think that little spell was going to stop me?" His hand reached out and grabbed Wenona by the throat and Ani gave a little cry not really sure what to do but Wenona just looked him in the eye and continued to mutter to herself.  
  
Aniela watched in horror trying to come with a strategy, one that didn't involve her running away or jumping on his back and beating him over the head, one that might actually work. She was doing this when suddenly the vampire was pulled off Wenona and thrown backwards onto the pavement. A tall dark haired guy stepped out in front of them putting himself between them and the vampire.  
  
"That's not very nice," the new guy said turning a long, sharp stick over in his hands.  
  
"And who are you? The polite police," the vampire asked jumping to his feet.  
  
"No, just someone who was passing by," the new guy replied.  
  
"Well maybe you're someone who should mind his own business," the vampire retorted and rushed at him suddenly.  
  
Aniela had thought that things were strange before but now things seemed just completely surreal as she watched the two guys fight feeling like she'd got stuck in some fast paced martial arts movie. Their saviour was really fast and really strong and seeing as he wasn't just holding his own but actually getting the better of vampire guy she figured that he must be Night World too. The fight was really violent, the kind of thing that might look really cool on film but was really worrying and sort of scary in real life.  
  
She wasn't really sure how she felt but watching someone die no matter who they were or what they'd done wasn't something she'd want to see. Without really thinking about it she stepped towards the two fighting guys. It wasn't exactly the brightest idea she'd ever had she realised as the vampire half threw half pushed the other guy in her direction and she found herself landing hard on the pavement and banging her head. One good thing came out of it though; the vampire chose that moment to do his disappearing act.  
  
"I'll be seeing you," he said before taking off.  
  
"I guess Buffy's right," Ani said as she sat up gingerly rubbing the back of her head, "they always have to say something; they never just leave."  
  
"Are you okay?" their rescuer asked offering her his hand to help her up.  
  
"Just peachy," Aniela said.  
  
Wenona was beside her quickly. "Don't get up yet," she ordered, "let me look at your head first, you banged it pretty hard."  
  
Aniela grimaced as Wenona examined the back of her head gently with her long fingers. "So are you okay?" she asked the guy.  
  
"Just peachy," he replied with a small grin.  
  
"Thank you so much," Wenona said to him looking up from Aniela, "I guess you want to know what that was about."  
  
"None of my business," he replied, "I was just glad to help."  
  
"And we were glad you did," Aniela replied, "I'm Aniela by the way."  
  
"I'm Gwern," he told them.  
  
Aniela heard Wenona gasp slightly behind her. "Gwern," she said softly, "Des's Gwern."  
  
Aniela saw Gwern's eyes widen slightly in surprise and a wistful look appeared on his face.  
  
"Des's Gwern," he confessed.  
  
"Oh Goddess," Wenona exclaimed.  
  
And suddenly Aniela felt like she was missing half the puzzle again. 


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: Hey all, I am so glad I got this part finished today, I wasn't sure if I would, I just started evil work experience this week and I've been wrecked all week. Well just another 4 months to go. Anyway huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, hugs to everyone.  
  
Adelaide E: Thanks so much, I'm glad you liked. I'm really glad Gwern's finally back too, though when or if he and Des get back together is a different question. I was thinking of having Diablo rescue them but well he's not exactly the knight in shining armour type, Gwern on the other hand practically has rescue ranger :) written on his forehead. I hate seeing Des moping too. Hmm a wooden chain, interesting, very interesting.  
  
Orange: Thanks so much for reviewing, Gwern does seem to have that effect on people. Though most people like to see him and Des together, maybe it's just Des they like and he has to come as part of the package, anyways hope you like this part.  
  
Tamashii: Thanks for reviewing. The plot thickens indeed, well it sort of had to, I mean as much as I love Ani and Diablo this story does have to end sometime and that requires there to be a plot. Anyways thank you so much again.  
  
neona-deniker: Wow, thanks so much, *blushes*. I'm so glad that you like the story so much.  
  
Redaura: See I told you he'd turn up and look how close you were to how it happened. Thanks so much for reviewing.  
  
Mandy: Heya, thanks so much for the review. Gwern does have a lot of explaining to do, an awful lot of explaining to do. Oh, I just got this mental image of Gwern and Des doing an 'I Love Lucy' bit :). Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
Tjones: Thanks so much for the review, I hope this was soon enough.  
  
Marie-Claire: Thanks so much for reviewing, I'm so glad you like the story, I agree that it's kind of sad but that's just the way it seems to come out, I really hope it does all work out in the end.  
  
Jenni NW: Thanks for the review it is much appreciated, well here's more finally, I hope you enjoy.  
  
Zabella: Thanks so much, I'm glad you like.  
  
Ash: Wow, thank you so much. I'm so glad you've enjoyed them both, thank you so much for reviewing.  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 18.  
  
Icarus was pacing, that was never a good sign; of course the fact that he had just yelled at her to get into the kitchen wasn't a particularly good sign either.  
  
"What's up?" she asked softly.  
  
"What's up? What's up?" Icarus shouted, "I'll tell you what's up we've been complete idiots, we're practically a laughing stock, well we will be if anyone finds out about this. We've been so blind, so stupid, so crap."  
  
Des frowned, this outburst was so unlike Rus and she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, a glance at Cynthia revealed that she was just as lost as Des.  
  
"Okay Rus, take a breath," she ordered. Icarus stopped his rant and glared at her. "Now calm down," she instructed, "and tell us what the hell you're talking about."  
  
Icarus took a deep breath and launched into another tirade, "I'll tell you what I'm talking about; I'm talking about the fact that we've possibly been the stupidest Daybreak operatives in the history of stupid Daybreak operatives. I'm talking about how we've been making nice and eating dinner with the very Night People we're supposed to be protecting Wenona from. That's what I'm talking about."  
  
"Oh," Des said not really sure if there was anything else she could actually say. Cynthia's face was a picture, it was a toss up between which was wider and rounder her eyes or her mouth.  
  
"Diablo Mandril, Cassian Ashcroft and Charlotte Adams," Icarus clarified just in case there was any doubt.  
  
Des felt like kicking herself, Icarus was right they had been totally stupid, this was basic, basic stuff, even first timers knew it, before you do anything else check out the Night People in town. Normally she did that, first day in town she'd find someone willing to talk to her and find out who were the local Night People but she'd been so caught up with herself and her problems this mission that she just hadn't thought of it, if anything happened to Wenona she'd never forgive herself.  
  
It just had never occurred to her that they could be the ones, Wenona seemed friendly with them and she was used to the Night World doing the whole cloak and dagger thing, but the brazenness of them to be so out in the open, to use their real names, they weren't exactly lacking confidence. How cold-hearted did you have to be to actually sit down to dinner with and to chat happily and friendly with someone you were going to have to kill. It shouldn't really have surprised her; she of all people knew how cold-hearted and cruel Night People could be but still it shocked her. She would never ever understand how anyone could have such lack of compassion and empathy for a fellow creature.  
  
"They can't even have been in town that long," Cynthia said, "they must have got here just before us and Wenona didn't even tell us. I mean come on she's an intelligent person surely she would have realised it was a bit of a coincidence that they arrived just before Daybreak sent her protection."  
  
Icarus nodded, "I know, she is going to get a piece of my mind when her friend leaves."  
  
"Her friend?" Des asked.  
  
"Yeah, Ani, the waitress," Icarus told her.  
  
"I didn't realise she was here," Des said, "Where are they by the way?"  
  
"In Nona's room I think," Icarus told her, "I got the feeling they needed to have a private talk."  
  
"Umm, you guys," Cynthia piped up, "they're not up there; I was in there just before I came down. Actually I can't sense them anywhere in the house."  
  
"Great, just god damn perfect, I mean can we get any better, first we give the assassins practically unfettered access to the person we're protecting and now we've lost her. Please tell me I'm not the only person feeling like a total and complete idiot right now," Icarus said.  
  
"You're not the only one feeling like a total idiot but I think we can leave that until later right now we need to find her," Des said.  
  
  
  
"Oh Goddess," Wenona said, "Does Des know you're here? No, of course she doesn't. Wait until she sees you."  
  
Gwern sighed and ran his hand through his long, dishevelled hair lifting it out of his eyes. "You can't tell her I'm here," he told Wenona, "at least not yet, I'm not ready to see her yet, I need a little time and I need to be the one to tell her I'm here."  
  
Wenona frowned, she really, really wanted to tell this guy off but it wasn't her place, not really and he had just saved her and Ani but still where did he get off, he wasn't ready to see her yet so she was going to stay in pain. He was a coward, a big, fat coward.  
  
While Wenona and Gwern were talking Aniela decided to get to her feet, which turned out not to be as good an idea as she thought as the ground swirled below her. All her blood was rushing, well she wasn't exactly sure where it was rushing put it was definitely rushing somewhere; she could feel it racing through her veins in quite a hurry and her head was starting to pound.  
  
"I'll get you guys home," Gwern was saying, "but I can't go inside. What were you doing out here alone anyway? Why wasn't Rus or someone with you?"  
  
Wenona looked guiltily at her shoes but didn't answer his question; it was embarrassing to admit that she had put herself and Aniela in danger just because she was in a bad mood. They were really lucky Gwern had come along and she knew it, her spell had been pretty useless.  
  
She wasn't a fighting witch, it just wasn't in her; it wasn't in her family; they were healers they had been for as far back as anyone could remember. That shouldn't have been a problem, it never had been before until she went and fell in love with the wrong person, except that he wasn't the wrong person, he was the right person, well the right one for her anyway, her soulmate.  
  
"I don't feel so good," Aniela said softly as she swayed on her feet drawing Nona out of her thoughts.  
  
Gwern was beside her in a second steadying her. "I think we better get you back home," he said.  
  
"We'd better take her to my place," Wenona told him, "it's closer and we can work on doing some healing there."  
  
Aniela didn't notice much of what went on around them as they walked back to Wenona's house. She was concentrating too much on trying not to throw up, she'd been so happy when the world had decided to stop spinning around her and her dizziness began to disappear but dizziness was preferable to the waves of nausea that were rolling up from her stomach and into her aching head. She wasn't even sure if the others had talked to her on the way back, she didn't really care as long as she didn't throw up on Gwern, she didn't thinking vomiting on him was the right thank you gift.  
  
When they got to Wenona's road Gwern took the steadying arm away from her back.  
  
"You'll be okay from here," he told her, "I hope you feel better."  
  
"Me too," Ani replied slowly. "Thanks again."  
  
"I guess we'll be seeing you around," Wenona said to him.  
  
"Maybe," he replied, "we'll see. Try and stay out of trouble, let the others do their job, they're quite good at it usually."  
  
"Okay, lets get you inside," Wenona said to Aniela after he left. "We can get you something for your head."  
  
"Somehow I don't think you're talking about aspirin," Aniela said.  
  
"Witch aspirin," Wenona said with a grin.  
  
  
  
They were all standing by the door deciding who was going to look where when they heard the key scrap in the lock. The door swung open and Wenona walked in with a very pale looking Aniela.  
  
"Oh hi guys," she said blithely.  
  
Des could literally see Icarus start to boil and it made her realise something. Before Icarus was usually the laid back casual one while Gwern was the one who'd do the angry rants and keep everyone in line but this mission Icarus was the one taking things seriously, being responsible, trying to fill in for Gwern, trying to give the team balance. She should have realised earlier what he was doing, she just had never really thought how much he must be missing Gwern too, as a friend and as a team mate, how selfish was that.  
  
"Oh hi guys, oh hi guys," Icarus said obviously getting up steam for the sermon that was going to follow but before he could even begin Wenona raised her hand.  
  
"I know what you're going to say and you're right, and even though I know how stupid I was I'll let you give me the lecture in a minute but first I've got to help Aniela, she banged her head and I don't think listening to you is going to help her any."  
  
  
  
Aniela followed Wenona meekly into the kitchen. Icarus had looked really angry and she was glad they'd been spared whatever it was he was planning to say.  
  
"Sit down there," Wenona ordered as she walked around the kitchen opening and closing presses and drawers. She got a spoon and then some bottles and placed them in front of Aniela.  
  
"This will only take a minute," she said as she mixed some oil from both the bottles on the spoon, "it's a mixture of lavender and jojoba oil. I just rub some to your head and neck and say a few words and that's it."  
  
"Are you sure?" Aniela asked.  
  
"Well lets see shall we," Wenona said with a grin as she dipped her finger in the mixture. She rubbed a little on Aniela's temples and on the back of her neck. "Blood flow, headache go," she said softly.  
  
She headed for the fridge then and pulled a packet of peas out of the freezer box. "Here," she said passing them to Aniela, "Put those on the back of your head it will help the lump go down."  
  
"Wow, frozen peas, that's so witchy," Aniela said with a grin already feeling her headache start to dissipate.  
  
Wenona grinned then sighed, "Well I'd better go face the others, you can stay in here."  
  
Aniela picked up the peas and a nearby towel; she wrapped the towel around the peas and held them to her head. Her head was no longer pounding but the area around the lump was still tender. She could hear snatches of the argument the others were having coming from the living room. She wondered if Wenona was going to tell them about the vampire. She still wasn't exactly sure what was going on but apparently Nona's visitors were connected with it. Everything seemed to be connected at the moment, maybe it was true that there was no such thing as a coincidence.  
  
She was drifting off into her own thoughts when she heard one of the girls say something about Diablo. She wasn't exactly sure what they'd said but it reminded her of something she'd forgotten in all the pain. Diablo, the bastard she was going to, well she didn't know what she was going to do to him but she would think of something painful enough.  
  
The others seemed to be getting even louder now; she could hear Wenona saying, "I don't believe you." What didn't she believe, now that seemed like an important question. One of the other girls was talking now, not yelling but still loudly but she sounded really understanding.  
  
"I'm sorry Wenona but it's true, they're Night World."  
  
"But how can they be? I mean they're soulmates, he changed her illegally. And Diablo, oh Goddess, Diablo."  
  
Aniela could hear the pity and sorrow in Wenona's voice and she knew exactly what it meant; they knew now too. Well that was good they could stop him from hurting Wenona. "Yeah," a little voice in her head said, "but how do you think they're going to stop him? Rap him on the knuckles and tell him he's been a bad boy?" Aniela sighed, she really hated having such a sarcastic inner voice.  
  
She was saved having to think about probable ways they were going to stop him by the doorbell. She knew who it was even before she heard the familiar voice ask Wenona if she was there.  
  
"Her Mom said that she came to visit you," he was saying.  
  
"Yeah, she's here," Wenona said and Aniela could just imagine the looks on the others' faces.  
  
She walked slowly to the kitchen door and swung it open. Diablo looked up and saw her in the door way and she saw a look of relief spread across his face relieving the tension that had set his face in a strange look of worry.  
  
"You're okay," he said crossing the hall towards her in a few strides. "Thank God," he said pulling her towards him. "I knew something was wrong but I didn't know what."  
  
Aniela couldn't really think, she couldn't think about how strange it seemed for him to be so concerned for her or process the looks of horror on Rus and Cynthia's faces or the looks of pity on Nona and Des's.  
  
"We should talk," she said shortly. "In here," she said stepping away from the door.  
  
"Okay," Diablo said confused.  
  
She ushered him into the kitchen ignoring the looks of the others, let Wenona explain things to them if she wanted, she didn't really care, she wasn't sure if she cared about anything anymore. She leaned against the worktop and crossed her arms in front of her, now that she was alone with him she wasn't sure what she wanted to say to him.  
  
The silence filled the space between them like a physical entity, God Almighty how did she even start luckily he saved her the trouble.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, "What happened?"  
  
"Oh me and Wenona just got attacked by a vampire, I'm sure that won't surprise you, he's probably a friend of yours. I mean that is why you're here isn't it to attack Wenona."  
  
Diablo didn't react exactly the way she expected him to. He marched over to her grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eye.  
  
"Who did it?" he demanded.  
  
"What do you care?" she replied, "You'd be doing the exact same thing given half a chance."  
  
"That's not true," he said adamantly. "I would never hurt you, you have to know that."  
  
"But you'd hurt Wenona wouldn't you, you'd kill her, that's your whole reason for being here, isn't it? Well isn't it?"  
  
"Yes," he admitted softly.  
  
Aniela felt herself deflate, the hope she hadn't even known she'd been clinging to just disappeared and left her with nothing. She hadn't wanted him to admit it, she'd been hoping all along that he'd deny it, that it wasn't true, that there was another explanation for everything.  
  
"And you're good at killing?" she asked softly.  
  
"Yes," he replied.  
  
"And you like it," she said, "You enjoy it you sadistic bastard."  
  
"I'm a hunter," he said softly, "it's what I was born to do."  
  
She felt a desire to hurt him well up inside her, she wanted to hit him or kick him or something, anything to make him feel something like the pain that was welling up in her chest.  
  
"I want to see," she said, "I want to see what you do."  
  
Diablo looked taken aback, completely shocked and a little scared. "I don't think that would be a good idea," he said.  
  
But she didn't care what he thought, she wanted to know and before he could realise what she was doing she reached out and grabbed his hand. The soulmate connection burst over them destroying any barriers that they had between them.  
  
She could have done this anytime she realised, even though he hadn't wanted her to see these parts of himself if she'd let it in, if she had really wanted to know, if she'd tried hard enough then she could have seen them. He wasn't even fighting her; he just let the images show themselves to her. It was horrible, worse than she could have possibly imagined, so much death, so much pain, it was too much she didn't want to see any more but she couldn't stop it once she'd opened the gates she couldn't stop the flood.  
  
He had done such terrible, terrible things and he hadn't even seen how terrible they were. Part of her felt it wasn't his fault, that he was the creation of his family but that didn't change the fact that he had done these things, that this was the person he was.  
  
She pulled away from him, back into herself and she realised that she was shaking and her breath was coming in huge gulps.  
  
"Ani," he said softly stroking her hair. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."  
  
She clung to him, it was so stupid she was looking for comfort from him and the strangest thing was that she found it. Even though she'd seen everything and it made her feel so bad, in his arms she felt safe, how completely messed up was that.  
  
He held her fiercely too him and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "I love you," he whispered.  
  
"I know," she replied burying her face in his chest.  
  
He pulled away from her slightly and grabbed her chin in his hand. He tilted her face upwards towards his so they were looking each other in the eye.  
  
"I really, really love you," he said again.  
  
Aniela looked into his deep green eyes and was overwhelmed by the huge swell of emotion that grew in her chest.  
  
"I love you too," she replied.  
  
Aniela didn't know who started it but suddenly they were kissing, really kissing, deep, desperate kisses that shook her to her core, clinging to each other like they were sustenance, oxygen. Eventually they had to come up for air and Ani's lips were tingling.  
  
Diablo smiled wryly at her, "Things will work out you know, I mean I love you and you love me so they have to work out."  
  
Aniela sighed, "You don't really believe that."  
  
"No," he said, "but I really, really want to."  
  
"I'd like to too," she told him, "but we both know that it's not true, love's not always enough."  
  
"It can be if you let it," he said, "it's up to you Ani. It's your choice. Can you accept me?"  
  
"I don't know," she replied honestly.  
  
"That means no," he said sullenly.  
  
"No, that means I don't know," she told him, "I'm confused Diablo, I mean you did so much and truthfully what you've done appals me; it scares me Diablo, not even what you've done exactly but the lack of compassion, the lack of conscience you showed when you did them.  
  
I'm confused and I really don't know how I feel, I need time. And it's not just up to me, it's up to you too, I mean can you change? Are you willing to stop doing what you're doing for me?"  
  
Diablo frowned, "I don't know."  
  
"Well think about it, let me think about, tomorrow's another day you know."  
  
He bent his head and brushed his lips of her forehead lightly. "Okay."  
  
And that was that, he disappeared out the back door and she had to go face the others. They were all still in the hall when she opened the door.  
  
"Where is he?" Icarus demanded angrily.  
  
"He's gone," she told him.  
  
"What do you mean he's gone?"  
  
"I mean he left," Aniela replied and to her horror she realised that her eyes were wet.  
  
"You let him go," Icarus yelled at her angrily, "do you have any clue what you've just done, the danger you've put Wenona in."  
  
Aniela couldn't take it, she was still swimming in emotion after what had just happened with Diablo and now this guy was yelling at her. She couldn't take anymore, everyone had a breaking point and apparently this was hers. Big, round tears spilled out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She couldn't control it, even her embarrassment at crying in front of practical strangers couldn't stop her from breaking into huge sobs.  
  
Icarus looked really alarmed and uncomfortable. One of the girls, the one with long auburn hair put her arms around her and held her as she cried. She didn't try to get her to stop, she just held her and stroked her hair making comforting noises as she cried and cried. 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: Thanks so much to everyone who commented on the last part.  
  
Mandy: Heya, thank you for the review. I was kind of hoping for the Des and Gwern reunion too when I finally got him into the story but it wasn't to be, I have said it a few times but I have to say it again Gwern never seems to do what I want him to do.  
  
As for Des's reaction to him I still don't know what that will be, on the one hand she really misses him and on the other she's really mad at him so only time will tell with those two. And as for Ani and Diablo well there's a lot of stuff they have to work out if they want to be together and though I'm not sure if they'll be able to I hope they do.  
  
Adelaide E: I know, I know but I have no control over Gwern, I don't think I've ever had, but I do have to say I don't really think he's a bad ass vampire at least not in the Diablo sense of the word, he's more a pain in the ass, moody vampire.  
  
As for Diablo as I said to Orange he has this whole nice, precious side to him that I never envisioned when the character first popped into my head. He was actually the first character I came up with for the story and I really thought he was going to be a complete bad ass assassin but then I start writing him and Ani and suddenly there's a whole 'nother side to him.  
  
I'm still not sure what's going to happen with Diablo on the whole Wenona thing, it's still up in the air, but I definitely don't think anyone's going to let him get near Wenona without a fight.  
  
Orange: I have to agree that yes Icarus's personality change was a good bit freaky but I have been sort of neglecting him in this story and when I finally got back to writing him I discovered that while I was concentrating on Des and Ani and Diablo Rus has been going through some stuff. There's a further explanation of his actions in this part.  
  
Diablo can be sweet, which was a really unexpected side to him for me at least. To begin with I thought he was going to be the stereotypical bad ass vampire but then this nice side of his personality appeared from out of no where. Though it seems to come out when more when he's around Aniela. Hopefully everyone will be back to themselves by the end of this chapter.  
  
As for Wenona's mystery soulmate, he's not really a mystery but he may be making another appearance at some stage or at least you'll find out who he is.  
  
Redaura: Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you're happy Gwern's back, and yes he is a big wimp at least when it comes to Des he is, though he has to get points for going after her at the end of Bound By Flame.  
  
I definitely agree Icarus is too scary like that, I turn my back for a couple of chapters and my nice sweet Icarus has turned into a Gwern clone, but not to fear he will be back to himself soon, I hope.  
  
As for the crying well hopefully there won't be too much more of that, Ani's not really one for crying a lot but she just had a huge overload in the last part and well poor Des has just had a really hard time so I say she can cry all she wants.  
  
Ash: Thanks so much for reviewing, I'm so glad you like the story. I don't know when Gwern's going to meet up with Des as soon as he gets up the courage to go see her, which knowing him might take some time.  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 19.  
  
Crying wasn't a natural state for Aniela, she wasn't sure it was a natural state for anyone but it definitely wasn't for her, especially not in front of other people. Whenever she did cry it was usually alone in her room and it usually didn't last that long, just enough that whatever was bothering her didn't feel as bad.  
  
She didn't know how long she cried for, for a while she just let it all go without thinking. It was a release but it wasn't helping; it wasn't going to help things between her and Diablo and it wasn't helping Wenona. When she realised this she stopped, she was still breathing fast and sort of shallow and her nose was still a little runny but there were no more tears and no more sobs.  
  
She turned to the girl who was hugging her. She was ordinary looking but with lovely, long, auburn hair and warm, friendly brown eyes but there was sadness in them too. Ani saw understanding in those eyes, understanding and sympathy. Not pity or compassion just because she was a person in pain but the sympathy that came from having experienced a similar pain, from having been there too. Aniela could tell that this girl really knew what she was going through. She gave her a small, stiff smile and the girl smiled back.  
  
"I'm Ani," she told her.  
  
"I know, I'm Des," the girl replied.  
  
Ani wiped her eyes on the back of her hands and looked up sheepishly. Rus was looking as embarrassed as she felt, which was good, he should be embarrassed at the very least.  
  
  
  
Icarus felt like the biggest asshole ever placed on the Earth and judging from the looks the girls were giving him they felt so too. He really hadn't meant to make her cry, it was the last thing he was trying to do. Today had just not been his day.  
  
First he discovered he'd made the most elementary mistake ever and put Wenona in danger, then he'd discovered Wenona was missing. Then the two of them strolled in followed shortly afterwards by a Dark Ninja. Of course he wasn't going to be in the best mood after that, but yeah he'd gone a little too far and been a little too Gwern-like, but judging from the looks the girls were giving him he was going to pay for it.  
  
"Okay," he said, "hands up who wants to help me build a time machine so I can go back in time and stop myself from being so stupid and prevent the ass kicking I am so obviously going to get for being such a misogynistic asshole."  
  
Ani stared at Rus; he had suddenly gone from being scary, screaming guy to being Alex with a larger vocabulary. He definitely was a strange guy but she understood why he had reacted the way he had and it wasn't really his fault that she had started to cry, he'd just yelled at her at the wrong time. She'd probably have started crying anyway even if he hadn't shouted at her so she wasn't going to let him get in trouble over something that wasn't his fault even if she was angry with him. If it was anyone's fault it was Diablo's.  
  
"Look," she said, "I'm not exactly happy with you right now and I'm definitely not sure if I like, though a guy who knows what misogynistic means and can use it in a sentence might actually be someone I'd like to know or maybe you've just been called that by one too many women, either way what just happened wasn't your fault."  
  
Taking in the looks of disbelief from the other girls and even from Icarus himself Aniela decided she had better amend that statement.  
  
"Wasn't entirely your fault," she said. "Look I just found out my soulmate isn't just an asshole, he's an asshole who's killed lots of people and was sent here to kill my best friend, having a stranger yell at me isn't exactly the worst thing that's happened to me in the past few days. You just sort of made me realise that I was putting Nona in danger, that's all."  
  
"I'm sorry," Icarus told her still looking really uncomfortable and sort of shamefaced, "I didn't realise. I mean if I'd known, well even if I'd known I'd probably have said the same thing, I've been having a really bad day and I sort of took it out on you. I know that's not an excuse but I'm really, really sorry, I'm usually not like this, I swear."  
  
"Wait a minute," Wenona burst in her voice unusually loud and distressed. "What do you mean he was sent to kill me? You knew about this?"  
  
Aniela sighed, how the hell was she supposed to explain this. Yes the guy who I'm in love with and who's actually my soulmate, the one person in the world I'm supposed to be with was actually sent here to kill you and even though I just found out for sure I sort of always knew; at the very least I knew he wasn't one of the good guys. Luckily for her Icarus saved her from having to go through that arduous conversation.  
  
"That's what we were telling you," he said, "before we got interrupted. While you were," he paused searching for a way to say it that wasn't going to aggravate anyone, "out, we got a call from Vegas. Diablo Mandril, Charlotte Adams and Cassian Ashcroft are all Night World assassins. They're Dark Ninja's Wenona."  
  
Des watched as Icarus finished filling Wenona in on what all the rest of them already knew, that she really was in danger and from people she had accepted into her life; it was a hard thing to find out. She watched Rus as he talked and saw the pain he was feeling at having to do what basically came down to destroying a piece of Wenona's innocence and she saw the tenderness that crossed his face. She felt like kicking herself, she should have realised sooner, she should have known.  
  
Goddess, poor Icarus, he was falling for her. No wonder he'd been acting that way, no wonder he was so angry about putting her in danger. He always seemed to fall for the wrong girls, girls who couldn't appreciate him, girls who didn't want him, girls who used him and girls who were taken. She really had been way to wrapped up in herself this mission, Icarus was her friend, her best friend and he'd been there when she needed him, the least she could do was be there for him.  
  
  
  
Disbelief shone in Wenona's face, "No they can't be. It doesn't make any sense; it can't be them. I mean if they were sent after me who's the guy who attacked me and Ani."  
  
Aniela knew Wenona had said the wrong thing the moment the words left her mouth. Icarus's expression darkened instantly.  
  
"What the hell do you mean the guy who attacked you and Ani?" Icarus demanded his voice rising rapidly to a pitch that only dogs could hear.  
  
"When we went for our walk this guy attacked us and I can tell you right now he wasn't Cassian or Diablo."  
  
"Yeah but he can't have been very good if you got away, no offence," Cynthia's English accent broke into the conversation for the first time. "It might just have been a coincidence."  
  
"It wasn't a coincidence," Wenona declared, "this is a small enough town, we don't really get many attacks here especially not by strange vampires. And he was good, he was really good or do I mean bad. Hmmm, how about he was really good a being bad?"  
  
"Wenona, this isn't a joke," Icarus cried looking like he wanted to shake her. "You are in real danger."  
  
"Wenona," Aniela said softly, "it's true. What he said, it's true; they were sent after you. Diablo admitted it to me."  
  
Aniela could see Wenona actually physically deflate and she hated herself for being the cause of it.  
  
"Well what are we going to do?" Wenona asked.  
  
"I think we should get you and your mom out of here," Icarus said, "take you to a safe house."  
  
"Leave," Wenona said, "run away, leave everything I've ever known, my whole life. I don't think so."  
  
"It could mean your life if you stay here," Icarus retorted, "don't you realise that."  
  
"Of course I realise it," Wenona snapped, "you've spent the last few days convincing me of it. But even if I leave what about Aniela and Alex? What about all the people I know here, what's to the keep them from trying to get to me through them?  
  
Goddess this is so stupid, I'm no one, I'm nothing special, I have no great power, I'm just an ordinary member of Daybreak and yeah I know that in itself means an automatic death sentence from the Night World but there are more important things going on in the world, why are they wasting time with me?"  
  
Icarus sighed, "I can't answer that, but as for Ani and Alex, we can protect them too."  
  
"No," Aniela said her refusal calmer and even more definite than Wenona's as if it wasn't even a question. "I'm not going anywhere, my entire family lives around here, my parents, my nonna, my uncles, my aunt, my cousins. I'm not letting him chase me away from here, this is my home and that means something to me. Anyway I don't believe he'll hurt me, I don't believe he'll let the others hurt me but that doesn't help Wenona."  
  
"Well," Wenona said softly, "you guys were sent here to protect me, so protect me."  
  
"Okay," Des agreed, "but that means listening to us, doing what we tell you to do."  
  
"Alright," Wenona agreed.  
  
"First things first," Des said taking control, "I don't think you should go to school. Aniela maybe you could say that she's sick, try not to arouse suspicion and if anything happens there we should know about you could fill us in."  
  
"Sure, no problem," Aniela replied.  
  
"Ani, I don't think you should get involved," Wenona said.  
  
"Too late," Aniela told her, "you got me involved way back in kindergarten when you started talking to me and we became friends. Plus Diablo sort of involved me too; I'm not going to let him hurt you, for you and me and for him too. I know this is going to sound stupid but I think there's good in him, deeply hidden but there all the same."  
  
"Okay," Des said, "now I'm going to talk to Daybreak about getting stronger wards put up, though your Mom might be able to help, and we're going to have to find out who this new guy is."  
  
"Yes Ma'am," Icarus said with a grin looking relieved that Des had decided to take control and that he was no longer having to take the lead.  
  
"I'd better get home," Aniela said, "my Mom wants me back for dinner." She grinned slightly self-consciously, they were having a war council and she had to run home for dinner. Life had definitely taken a strange turn in the past few days.  
  
"Okay," Des said grinning back at her, "if you find anything else out from Diablo will you let us know? I think we need all the help we can get right now."  
  
"I will," Aniela replied as she pulled her keys from her pocket.  
  
As she drove home Ani felt a new resolve harden inside of her, she was not going to let anything happen to Wenona. And well she had a decision to make about Diablo, she loved him and she believed there was good in him but was that going to be enough? She couldn't be with him if he was going to continue on the way he was, could he really change? Would he really change to be with her? Was love really that strong?  
  
She didn't really know she'd never been in love before but she knew that she would do anything for the people she loved, for her family and her friends, she'd even die to protect them if it was necessary, but that was her nature, that was how she'd been brought up, to love her family and friends and to want to protect them. Diablo had been brought up to kill, could he really change his nature for her even if he wanted to? 


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Warning: Mild swearing in this part.  
  
Author's Notes: I know, I know, I'm late, I am so sorry but between storms and powercuts, work and everything else I just didn't find the time to write until now. I hope it was at least some bit worth the wait.  
  
Thanks to the amazing, wonderful people who commented on the last part. I hope you all have/had a great Samhain (Halloween).  
  
Redaura: Thanks so much for the review. I'm sorry I took so long to update, hopefully the next part won't take as long. But there is lots of Diablo in this part :). I'm relieved 'Rus is back to normal too, one guy who acts like that is enough (Gwern). The mystery of Wenona's soulmate will be solved soon as there's not too much left in the story. Anyways thanks again, your reviews are muchly appreciated.  
  
Adelaide E: Yeah, that's why 'Rus has been such a pain, poor baby, he's the nicest of all the guys maybe barring Alex and yet he never gets the girl. I'm glad you think Diablo can change and that you like him so much, I really like him too, he's so different from my original idea of what he was going to be like, he's actually niceish. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter and that we see more of Vague Verity soon.  
  
Mandy: Yeah I know, the big climax is really slow in coming this story, that might be because it's that much longer than Bound by Flame or just because I'm still playing out the final few chapters in my head unsure of where they're going but things are starting to come to a head now and things are starting to happen. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
Zabella: Well hopefully this chapter will answer that question. Thank you, so, so much for the review.  
  
Tjones: I am so glad that you're enjoying the story and so sorry this update took so long, the next one won't take quite so long, I hope.  
  
Orange: Yip Icarus was finally back to his old joke cracking self, and he is usually so cute, I don't know how he manages especially with the amount of time he spends with Gwern. Thank you so much for the review, I'm really thrilled you enjoy the story and I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Part 20.  
  
For the first time in her life that she could remember Aniela felt apprehension hit her stomach with the thought of school. Of course it wasn't school that was causing the problem, it was Diablo. Then again Diablo seemed to be the cause of all the problems she'd been having since she'd met him.  
  
She was supposed to try and get information from him but he wasn't stupid and they were soulmates, how long was it going to take him to find out what she was up to? And how angry was he going to be when he found out what she was doing? She was figuring not long and a whole lot. God she wanted to stay home today, she just wasn't ready for this; she wasn't ready to see him again yet never mind anything else.  
  
The revelations of the day before had filled her dreams, well her nightmares really. It wasn't as if she could just sleep on it and then know exactly what to do about it. She just couldn't seem to reconcile the Diablo she loved with the Diablo that had done those things but they were the same person she knew that. She didn't understand how she could love someone who had done those things but she did. It was confusing, too confusing and seeing him would just make it worse.  
  
Still there wasn't a hope in hell her mom would let her stay home, she could be sick as a dog and her mom would still send her to school. Of course there was always the chance that Diablo wouldn't turn up when Wenona wasn't going to be there. Somehow she doubted she could be that lucky.  
  
Her parents were cooking breakfast together when she came downstairs. She couldn't help but smile as she watched the two of them; they were so funny and sweet together, both telling each other what to do, laughing at each other and taking every opportunity they could find to touch each other. She knew she was really lucky to have parents who still loved each other so much after so many years. She just wished she and Diablo could have something like they had.  
  
She tried her best to be cheerful around them and not to let them know how she was feeling but her parents were never easily fooled and they seemed to be particularly perceptive that morning.  
  
"You look like you need extra pancakes," her dad said filling her plate.  
  
Her mom nodded in agreement and gave Ani her sideways quizzical look. "Has this got something to do with that nice boy Diablo?" she asked.  
  
Ani snorted humourlessly, "nice boy", if only she knew.  
  
"Diablo huh," her dad said, "that blond kid from the other day? You tell him you've got a father, uncles and cousins who will be very angry with him if he upsets you."  
  
Ani grinned despite herself; her dad was so funny when he was being protective. "What kind of family is he going to think we are when I tell him all my male, Italian relatives are going to beat him up, huh?"  
  
Her dad winked at her. "Maybe the kind of family that will scare him into treating you right."  
  
Aniela smiled though she didn't think there was any kind of family that could scare Diablo.  
  
By the time she got to school her anxiety had turned into a hard lump at the bottom of her stomach making her feel sick. She didn't know what she was going to do; it wasn't as if she could just hide every time she saw Diablo though that was a very attractive looking plan at that point. Her life wasn't supposed to be this complicated, it was ordinary and she'd never asked for anything more.  
  
She just wanted to finish school, go to college, travel around Europe, then come home, find a job and maybe fall in love and get married, that was it, she'd never wanted anything extraordinary and look what she'd got, vampires, witches and a soulmate and more problems and complications than she could shake a stick at.  
  
She walked through the halls trying her best to look as normal as possible and try to rid herself of the feeling that everyone was looking at her. She wondered what would happen if she turned around and blew a big raspberry at everyone. Probably just prove to everyone that she was as unhinged as she looked. Still she was pretty safe for the moment; she had English first period without Diablo. The big problem was going to be art second period; not only did she have to sit beside him but the teacher had a tendency to wander off and abandon the class for most of the period. She was done for.  
  
Ani could never quite understand the properties of time that caused it to drag along like a limp tortoise when you wanted it to go fast and decide it had a need for speed when you needed it to crawl. If time were merciful she would still be sitting in Ms. Godfrey's class listening to her drone on about Hamlet and his relationship with his mother. Instead she was standing outside the art room door wondering if avoidance of soulmate rated as genuine excuse for skipping class.  
  
"So you want to skip?" Diablo's voice asked her from behind her ear.  
  
Her tummy fluttered at the sound of his voice, half in fear, half in something she really didn't want to analyse at that moment.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea," Ani replied turning towards him.  
  
"No but it's an idea," he replied with a wicked grin.  
  
"Well I guess we do need to talk."  
  
"Who said anything about talking?" Diablo said smiling at the blush that spread across her face. "Lets go."  
  
"But we'll get in trouble," Aniela muttered casting a glance back at the art room.  
  
"And we can't have that can we," Diablo snapped, "Perfect Ani can never do anything wrong."  
  
"This isn't the place, Diablo"  
  
Aniela struggled to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She really did not want to have a fight in the middle of the corridor; she didn't want to have a fight period.  
  
"Then where is the place?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know, lets find one."  
  
Aniela expected them to find an empty classroom or something but instead Diablo snuck them out a fire exit.  
  
"Where are we going?" Aniela demanded.  
  
"I don't know, somewhere we can talk."  
  
"Smart ass," she muttered as she continued to follow him away from the school building.  
  
"Look," she said after a few minutes, "we have to be back for next class and it's not like we actually going anywhere so why don't we stop here. We're away from the school building, no-one's around, if we're going to talk I don't know a better place."  
  
"Fine, what do you want to talk about?"  
  
"I don't know, you're the one who suggested this," she replied.  
  
"Yeah maybe but I never said I wanted to talk, you still need time right," he said derisively.  
  
"Of course I still need time, what did you expect? Me to wake up this morning and go la la la everything's find? For God's sake Diablo you killed people."  
  
"And that's just a little too much for the catholic girl to take isn't it?"  
  
Ani laughed bitterly, "I knew it, I knew that you'd bring that into it. You're wrong, you know, it's got nothing to do with being catholic; I'd feel the same whether I was catholic, protestant, hindu, muslim, buddhist, pagan or even an atheist. You just don't get it do you? You took lives; don't you understand how precious life is? It's got nothing to do with religion; it's about being human; it's about having compassion and it's about understanding just how sacred life is.  
  
Maybe being immortal or whatever you just don't get the value of life. Add to that the fact that these were people, with families, people who knew and cared for them. Can you even imagine the amount of pain you caused those people? Do you understand the potential you destroyed when you took those lives, only God knows what those people could have done, or who they could have become."  
  
"You think I don't know that," he yelled at her. "You think it doesn't wake me in the night knowing the kind of pain I've caused, knowing that I'm damned."  
  
Aniela gaped, she hadn't known that, she hadn't known he felt like that and she had never expected to ever see him so close to tears.  
  
"Hush," she said softly closing the space between him to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're not damned, you can find redemption if you really want it."  
  
"I want it," he whispered, "I want it so much. But who says that's enough, all my life nothing's ever gone the way I wanted and I've never been able to do anything right. Even this, the one thing in the world that should be so simple and I can't even do this right."  
  
Aniela bristled and pushed herself away from him. "Yeah, you can't even do this right, you should have been soulmates with some gorgeous, well connected vampire right?" She glared at him when he tried to interrupt, "well it's not right for me either is it. You came here to kill my best friend, if you hadn't met me you probably would have by now, hell if it wasn't for this thing you would have by now and if it wasn't for this thing I would have hated you."  
  
"Ah yes, this thing. Terrible how us poor earth bound creatures are at the whim of the higher powers, alive or dead with the nod of the head, in love or loved with a flick of the wrist. Believe me when I find out what deity is responsible I'll be writing a very strongly worded letter."  
  
Aniela glared at him in disbelief, "What?"  
  
"Why do you always wilfully misunderstand me?" he asked softly. "And why do you never let me finish what I'm saying? I was going to say, I can't even love you right."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Aniela asked her anger not quite dissipated.  
  
"I mean that I've basically messed up your life, and that as much as I want to I can't be what you want or what you need."  
  
"God," Aniela snapped exasperatedly, "who are you to say what I want or what I need. I want you, I want the you I can see behind all the arrogance and the bravado and the 'I'm a dangerous vampire' bullshit. I love you."  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"Why not? Just for once why can't it just be that simple? Why can't we just forget about all the other stuff and everyone else? I love you and you love me, why can't that be enough?"  
  
"I wish it could be," he told her. "I really do but we can't forget about everyone else; you care about them too and I know you if we let anything happen to Wenona you'd never forgive yourself."  
  
"We?" she asked softly feeling the hope she'd been keeping shuttered up inside begin fluttering around.  
  
"Yeah we," he replied, "I've made my choice. I guess I'm just waiting for you to make yours."  
  
"But you can't just, what about Cassian and Charlotte and your job and the entire Night World?" She stopped herself, "I'm being annoying, aren't I?"  
  
"Well sort of," he agreed with a smile, "I just announced that I'm in love with you and I'm giving up everything to be with you and you say I can't."  
  
"I can't help it, I'm worried about you. I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you."  
  
"That's it? It's not that you don't want me, or that you don't want me?" he finished with an embarrased grin.  
  
"That's it," she replied with a smile, "I want you, I want you to stay here if you can, I want you to like all my family and them to like you, I want you to like all my friends and them to like you and I want you to help with Wenona's problem, whatever that is. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, but I wish I could say the same, I mean I don't have much of a family, my mother is I don't know where, my extended family's pretty much awful though there are some far out cousins who're not so bad and as for friends, I don't really have any."  
  
"I know," Aniela told him, " and I know how horrible that was for you and how lonely. But you've got me now and my mom likes you already so you don't have to be lonely anymore."  
  
Diablo wrapped his arms around her tightly, "So I guess now the hard part starts." 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: The Night World is the property of L.J. Smith as are any of the characters you recognise like Thierry, Hannah, Lupe etc.  
  
Spoilers: All of the Night World books and my story Bound by Flame.  
  
Author's Notes: I know, I know, I'm sorry this part took so long, but I haven't been doing nothing, go check out www.angelfire.com/realm2/theairyvoid/heartoftheflame/heartoftheflame.html Or read my ujournal at www.ujournal.org/users/bisclaveret and say I can't believe she was doing that when she could have been writing.  
  
Thank you so, so much to everyone who commented on the last part, I love hearing from you guys.  
  
Tjones: I'm really glad you like it and this chapter show answer your question :)  
  
Redaura: Hopefully this chapter will solve the mystery of Wenona's soulmate for you. Sorry the update took so long, I hope you like this part.  
  
Adelaide E: I wouldn't really say poor myself so I guess he needs other people to feel sorry for him. I hope you like this chapter, I really like hearing from you and I am really enjoying your story though I've been a bit slow with the reviewing, one is coming, I promise.  
  
Orange: I for one certainly didn't know Diablo was such a softie, he was supposed to be a total bad ass, who wasn't going to change for his soulmate or anything but as usual nothing in the story goes as I thought it would, though I'm not too upset about it, I like Diablo being the big softie he is, I hope you do too.  
  
Chapter 21.  
  
Wenona flipped through the magazine in front of her for the third time in an hour. She was so bored; she was going to start banging her head against the wall soon if she didn't do something, anything. She didn't now how the wild powers managed it, it had only been a couple of days, well one day really since she'd snuck out the day before and she was already sick to death of being stuck in the house with nothing to do. She was actually hoping Aniela would bring her some homework assignments to do, things were that bad.  
  
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate why they were making her do this and Des, Cynthia and Rus were trying to make it easier for her. Rus was the one who had got her the magazines and seeing the look on his face when he'd given them to her she hadn't had the heart to tell him that she never read those kinds of things; he was also off renting videos to try and keep her entertained for the rest of the evening. He was so sweet and she couldn't help feeling bad that she was going to have to sit him down and have the we can only ever be friends talk.  
  
Her mom was trying to help her too; she'd been great about the whole thing though Wenona could tell she was really worried about her. Her reaction when she found out she'd left the house was worse than Icarus's but Nona understood because she knew how much her mother missed her dad and well as cool as her mom was since her dad had passed away she could be a little overprotective of Wenona.  
  
Wenona sighed, this was the kind of thing that you always thought of happening to other, famous people like the Redferns or Harmans or the wild powers, certainly not to people like her. She was fairly certain she knew why it was happening but still it seemed like such a trivial reason to her and certainly not worth the Night World's time with so much else going on but then she could never understand how the Night World council thought.  
  
Okay so she was soulmates with an incredibly old made vampire, big deal. So maybe he'd joined Daybreak after meeting her, so what, he hadn't been enamoured with the Night World at the time, and he was certainly not any great shakes with the council. It wasn't as if she'd converted Hunter Redfern from the cause or anything.  
  
Goddess, she missed him; she wished he could be there but then he obviously knew the Night World better than she did. He'd said it would be safer for her if people didn't know about them, which was why he didn't stay with her. Instead he travelled a lot, sometimes doing work for Thierry, sometimes just travelling to make it harder for someone to track him down and of course he came to visit her as much as he could or thought safe. He also realised she needed protection when she hadn't even realised she was in danger.  
  
Maybe she was too naïve to be his soulmate but Kane said that was one of the things he loved most about her, that she could see good in everyone while living so long had made bitter, made him expect the worst from everyone. She had opened his eyes up to the good in the world, at least that's what he told her. And she was glad of that, she couldn't imagined what it would be like to live for so long believing there was no virtue in the creatures you shared the world with.  
  
  
  
Icarus wandered around the video store browsing the shelves. Horror, maybe not he didn't think Wenona would enjoy a scary film right now. Action, somehow he didn't think that the other girls would enjoy action movies as much as he and Des did. Des was as bad an action junkie as he was, destroying his long held belief that girls didn't like action films.  
  
He headed for the comedy section figuring they could all use a laugh after the week they'd had. It was so hard having not only himself but also three, no make that four women to please, even more if Aniela called over.  
  
He bypassed everything with Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts's face on it; he just didn't think the connotations of hiring a romantic comedy to watch with Wenona were what he wanted. He knew his attraction to her was futile; it wasn't a big deal, he'd been there before, a few too many times for his liking but at least he knew he'd get over it eventually.  
  
The old standard of the Stooges beckoned to him but he stopped himself remembering that the last Stooges marathon he and Des had had was straight after they're last mission with Gwern and he didn't want to start dragging up any painful memories for her.  
  
He groaned silently, when had his life got so complicated that he couldn't even pick out a video without taking the ramifications of his choice into consideration.  
  
"Going for the old classics, I see."  
  
Icarus turned around sharply, a thousand and one different emotions and responses running through his head. He didn't know whether he should be happy or angry or slightly embarrassed that yet again he managed to sneak up on him, and wondered whether a hug, slap on the back or punch in the face would be the right welcome back.  
  
"Close your mouth 'Rus," Gwern said with a grin, "the flies are getting in."  
  
Somehow 'I'll flies you' didn't seem like the most intelligent response to 'Rus so he just stood there still not sure which reaction was winning out.  
  
"Sheesh, all these years of searching and I finally find something that will actually silence the most talkative werewolf this side of the milky way, all I had to was disappear for a couple of months."  
  
"It's not funny you asshole. Do you have any idea what Des has been going through?" Icarus found his voice and it was a particularly loud one.  
  
"Yeah, I think I do," Gwern said softly.  
  
Icarus paused, "So, are you back?"  
  
"That depends."  
  
"On?" Icarus prompted.  
  
"Des, and you."  
  
"Okay I understand the on Des part, because she could kick your ass the minute you get in the door, but on me? I might think you're the biggest idiot alive for leaving Des like you did but that's nothing new."  
  
"So you're not pissed at me for leaving you and Des in the lurch?"  
  
"Man, I needed the rest," Icarus replied with a grin. "Have you seen her yet?"  
  
"No, not yet. How do you think she'll react?"  
  
Icarus bit his lip; he still wasn't used to seeing Gwern looking so vulnerable, especially not when it came to a girl and he wasn't sure 'she'll probably tear your intestines out' was the best thing to say to him when he was like this.  
  
"I don't know, I mean she missed you a lot, so I don't think she'll kill you because then she'd still be missing you but I'd be worried about your vital organs."  
  
Icarus felt like kicking himself, one of these days he would master tact.  
  
"That's pretty much what I thought," Gwern said, "but I'm going to have to face her sometime, right?"  
  
Icarus decided keeping his mouth shut was the best idea for the moment and made an ambiguous head motion letting Gwern make of what he would.  
  
"So it might as well be now."  
  
  
  
Aniela sat into her car beside Diablo and wondered what exactly the reaction would be when they got to Wenona's house. She doubted it would be pleasant; she knew if things had been reversed and it was someone else bringing him there she'd probably the loudest voice in complaint. But voices and complaints were the last thing she was worried about; in the last few days the worst thing that could happen had changed from getting yelled at to getting killed. She just hoped Diablo didn't do or say something to provoke the others.  
  
She didn't know what was going to happen when they got to Wenona's but she believe Diablo when he said he was going to help but that was going to put him in a dangerous position. She was happy with the choice he'd made, really happy but she couldn't help but worry about what the consequences were going to be for him. Cassian and Charlotte were hardly about to just let his defection go and there was also the other vampire in town to deal with, and after that. The Night World didn't seem like the kind of people who took defection lightly, were they going to have to spend their lives running, hiding from these people; that didn't seem like much of a life to her.  
  
Her life had already become so scary since she'd met Diablo and it wasn't all to do with the Night World. Loving Diablo was scary, it was possibly the scariest thing that had or would ever happen to her. It had happened so quickly it was hard to trust it, despite how much she knew about him now, despite and because of how much she felt for him she still wasn't completely sure, but then who was ever completely sure when it came to love and most people didn't have a connection that let them see what the other person was thinking and feeling. Still she was frightened, frightened of losing him, frightened of losing herself and she was frightened of how deep, how intense her feelings for him already were.  
  
"So what exactly is the plan for when we get to Wenona's?" she asked him.  
  
"How about I walk in and say hi, I'm Diablo and I'm a Dark Ninja?"  
  
"I'm being serious here."  
  
"So am I," he replied. "Okay so maybe not, but I'm sure you'll come up with a good idea before we get there."  
  
Aniela grinned, "Diablo, you wouldn't know a good idea if it walked up to you and said, "Hi, I'm a good idea."  
  
"Oh hardy, har, har."  
  
"Sorry, I couldn't resist but we do still need a plan. We can't just walk in there and expect them to welcome you with open arms."  
  
"Why not? Or how about hi, I'm her soulmate, deal with it?"  
  
"If you were them would that be enough for you?" Aniela asked.  
  
"Probably not, but they're daybreakers, they're suppose to be open-minded, welcoming and trusting."  
  
"Being open-minded and trusting doesn't mean being stupid, Diablo. Just because they're the good guys doesn't mean they're going to fall for every guy with a sob story and a soulmate."  
  
"Who says they're the good guys."  
  
Aniela's hands tightened on the wheel, "Diablo, is that."  
  
"I was kidding," he interrupted, "kidding, obviously a badly timed and inappropriate joke, but a joke none the less, Ani."  
  
"Just don't do any of that at Nona's, okay."  
  
"Scout's honour."  
  
Aniela looked at him wryly, "You expect me to believe you were a scout?"  
  
"I could have been, but I just wasn't into all the macramé, pasta pictures and I don't look good in badges."  
  
Aniela giggled, "Oh I don't know, shorts and sashes seems very you to me."  
  
Diablo grinned, "you just put a rather disturbing image in my head, want to see?"  
  
"No thanks," Aniela replied, "definitely not."  
  
  
  
Icarus pulled the car into the Blessingways' driveway and let out a great whoosh of held breath that left his chest feeling tight and painful. This was going to be hard. And it should be private, this was between Gwern and Des and no matter what Gwern said or asked it wasn't his place to be there. And of course he really, really didn't need or want to see their inevitable fisticuffs.  
  
Still having Des and Gwern back together would be great, if that was what would happen; he could never tell with those two, they had the most volatile relationship he'd ever seen. They fought, they made up and then they fought some more, but still they loved each other just as much as any of the other soulmate couples he knew; they'd just got into the habit of fighting with each other when they first met and couldn't seem to lose it.  
  
Since then he'd found himself in the middle, always playing mediator between the two of them; that was the habit he'd picked up on that mission. Winema had come out the luckiest from that mission; the only habit she seemed to have picked up was having chocolate flakes for breakfast thanks to Des. He could do with having Winema around right now, though she'd probably just lock Des and Gwern into a room together and leave them there until they sorted something out, only after she'd kicked Gwern's ass for leaving Des that was.  
  
He got out of the car just as Gwern pulled in behind him, there was no going back now. 


End file.
